Ohio jury orders police officer to pay $4.4m to family of Black man he killed

An Ohio jury has ordered that a white police officer must pay $4.4m in compensatory damages to the family of a Black man the officer killed after approaching him while the man was sleeping.

They apparently believed the man was under the influence and tried to get him to come out of the car, but Stewart allegedly tried to drive away. Rhodes then got into the car, and the two engaged in a scuffle. Rhodes used a Taser on Stewart, hit him and finally fired four fatal shots. Stewart was unarmed.

Last week, Rhodes said in court that neither his dash-cam nor his flashlight were on when he approached Stewart. Experts testified that this did not live up to best practice in law enforcement.

In Ohio, police dash-cam footage is considered a public record, which transparency advocates have lauded, not least for the role it plays in holding police accountable.

In January, Rhodes was promoted to sergeant.