Last week, the Oklahoma City Council approved $1.05 million to settle a civil lawsuit filed by the family of Bennie Edwards, who was shot and killed by Oklahoma City police officers on December 11, 2020.

Police were responding to a complaint Edwards was bothering customers at a store in Northeast Oklahoma City when they found him with a knife outside the business. The situation escalated and ended with Edwards running away and officers shooting him in the back, killing him.

Edwards, who was 60 years old at the time, was experiencing homelessness and had a history of mental illness.

The Oklahoma County District Attorney at the time, David Prater, charged Sgt. Clifford Holman with first degree murder for his role in Edwards’ death. However, Prater’s successor, Vicki Behenna, dismissed the charge in 2023 .