KALAMAZOO (WKZO AM/FM) — The family of a man who died in the custody of Kalamazoo Public Safety Officers will be offered $810,000 in a settlement after they sued for neglect.
Kalamazoo City Commissioners discussed the settlement during a closed session last night, and then approved it in open session.
The case and the dramatic video footage from cameras inside the police cruiser that showed James Dunigan in distress as he was being transported from Bronson Hospital to the County Jail after being arrested for trespassing at Bronson Hospital in May of 2016, caused tension in the community.
After slumping to the floor of the car Officers Derek Nugent and Eric Shaffer, stopped the car, examined him and claimed he was faking, despite the fact he was foaming at the mouth.
The minority community was not only concerned about the treatment the 57-year-old Dunigan received, but some of the disrespectful comments made by the officers.
He was pronounced dead after they dropped him off at the Kalamazoo County Jail.
It was initially determined that the cause of death was heart disease, diabetes, pulmonary problems, end stage renal disease complicated by substance abuse.
The two officers were suspended without pay for one day at the time for violating department policy and not seeking medical assistance.
Dunigan’s family claimed in the suit that immediate medical treatment on that day might have prevented death.
