AUBURN, Wash. — The city of Auburn has reached a five point nine million dollar settlement with the Strickland family after 26-year-old Enosa Strickland was shot and killed by police in May of 2019.
The Strickland family filed a wrongful death and civil rights suit against Officer Kenneth Lyman who shot Enosa along with the city of Auburn on April 20, 2022. The lawsuit suggests that Officer Lyman had an extensive history of using force and was carrying an unapproved and “illegal” dagger that he later claimed Strickland had grabbed and refused to drop during a struggle.
The lawsuit alleges that the interaction between the man and the officers became strained and Lyman struck him in the face. According to the lawsuit and the family’s attorney Edward Moore, “No warnings, admonitions or cautions were issued” before Lyman hit Strickland. The family claimed the officers then tackled Strickland, who wound up facedown on the ground, and one minute later Lyman shot him. Strickland’s mother and father arrived four minutes later.
However, when the shooting was reviewed in 2021, Snohomish County Prosecuting Attorney Adam Cornell ruled the shooting justified. After this ruling, the family filed a civil suit which went into mediation and resulted in the payout.
The city has released a statement regarding the money paid to the Strickland family.
“This settlement is not an admission of any wrongdoing on the part of the City of Auburn,” said the city of Auburn in a recent press release.
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