ST. LOUIS (AP) — Relatives of a black suspect killed by a white former St. Louis police officer are demanding $5 million to resolve claims of a “cover up.”
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that an emailed letter Sunday from the family of Anthony Lamar Smith alleges that officials violated a judge’s order by failing to turn over some evidence before the original wrongful death lawsuit was settled for $900,000 in 2013. But when Officer Jason Stockley was later charged with murder in the case, court documents mentioned DNA evidence not disclosed to the Smith family attorneys. Stockley was acquitted last year.
City Counselor Julian Bush said Sunday that he hadn’t yet seen the demand letter but was aware that there had been a failure to turn over evidence in the case.