CLEVELAND — The attorney representing the family of Tamia Chappman -- a 13-year-old who girl who died after she was struck by a vehicle during a 2019 chase -- held a press conference to announce they have settled their case with the city of Cleveland for $4.8 million.
“I miss my daughter," Tamia's mother said during Monday's press conference, which was held outside of Cleveland City Hall. "We will never get her back. I don’t want nobody else’s kids or elderly to get hurt during these chases. I hope they stop."
We streamed the entire press conference live, which you can watch in the video below:
The incident dates back to Dec. 20, 2019, when Tamia was struck by a vehicle that had allegedly been stolen before being pursued by police. Tamia was walking on the sidewalk with several friends along Euclid Avenue when she was hit. Her family says she was walking to the library to attend a Toys for Tots event.
Attorney Stanley Jackson of the Cochran Firm said Tamia's family "has had an open wound constantly dealing with it over the years in this pursuit for accountability."
“Tamia shouldn’t have had to lose her life," he said. "We will continue to fight for families – much like the Chappman family -- to make sure that Cleveland and other areas are held accountable for their reckless, wanton behavior.”
This settlement comes nearly two years after Tamia’s family announced they were seeking $20 million from the city back in July 2022.
“$20 million, honestly, is not enough," said attorney Shean Williams of The Cochran Firm – Cleveland at the time of the 2022 press conference. "But we wanted to give the city, the mayor, the city council an opportunity to do the right thing by this family. Doing the right thing is not only compensating this family for this loss, but making changes.”
During that 2022 press conference, which you can watch in the video below, Williams also questioned the city's investigation of the incident, alleging the lead investigator was among those involved in the pursuit.
“That makes no sense in this country," he said. "That’s not objective. ... The investigation didn’t go as they told us it would go. So now we’re here asking the mayor, the city council, the law department to do the right thing: To hold these officers in this city accountable for what happened to Tamia Chappman.”
A 15-year-old boy pleaded guilty to charges connected to the case back in April of 2020 -- including involuntary manslaughter. He was sentenced to at least 26 years in prison.
Tyler Sinclair, a spokesperson for the city of Cleveland, released the statement below following the announcement of the settlement:
"The City’s decision to settle this case was an extremely difficult one. The police pursuit in question was initiated due to a violent armed carjacking of an innocent 72-year-old woman outside of a grocery store. The criminals were quickly identified and cowardly chose to flee from police leading to the tragic death of an innocent 13-year-old girl. They were arrested, later convicted of crimes related to both incidents, and are currently serving decades-long prison sentences.
"On one hand, you have police officers who were trying to do their job to remove violent armed individuals from the streets so they couldn’t victimize more people and commit additional violent crimes. On the other hand, a 13-year-old girl was tragically killed leaving her family, friends, and entire community in heartbreak.
"The City had to consider all relevant factors prior to this outcome, including a potential trial and additional costs, but we want to be clear that there are no winners or losers in a case as tragic as this one and – while it is easy to point fingers one way or another – the fact remains that if the armed carjacker never committed that crime then Tamia would still be here with us today.
"Additionally, it would be inaccurate to suggest that the City has not made any progress under the consent decree since this incident, as the Division of Police received upgraded compliance from the independent Monitoring Team in 35 benchmarks – equating to a 400% net increase – just last year, which includes improvements in Use of Force, Accountability, and numerous other categories. We look forward to building on that progress in the months to come."
PREVIOUS COVERAGE FROM 3NEWS...
- 3News Investigates: Cleveland cop felt 'so guilty' after high-speed pursuit killed Tamia Chappman
- Family announces $20 million settlement demand in Cleveland for 2019 death of 13-year-old Tamia Chappman
- 15-year-old boy pleads guilty in death of girl hit during Cleveland police chase
- Body camera and 911 calls show the moments leading up to 13-year-old's death in East Cleveland
- Family of 13-year-old who was struck by car in police chase calls out Cleveland police
- 13-year-old girl killed while walking home from school after police chase ends in crash in East Cleveland; suspect in custody