KEY WEST, Fla. (AP) — The city of Key West has reached a $900,000 settlement with the family of a Michigan man who died at a hospital while in police custody in 2013.
The family of Charles Eimers of Birch Run, Michigan, sued the city in April in federal court, claiming excessive force killed the unarmed man and that officers conspired to cover up the death.
Police Chief Donie Lee tells The Key West Citizen (http://bit.ly/1Lq2HT4 ) that the settlement was "a business decision by the insurance carrier." Lee says his officers did not use excessive force or cause Eimers' death.
The attorney for Eimers' family says he advised taking the settlement rather than waiting for a trial.
Eimers, 61, died six days after police held him face down on a beach after a traffic stop.
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Information from: The Key West (Fla.) Citizen, http://www.keysnews.com
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