3-Year-Old Awarded $2.5M After Police Officer Points Gun At Her Chest

3-Year-Old Gets $2.5M After Police Officer Points Gun At Her

On Wednesday, Chicago’s City Council approved a $2.5 million settlement in a lawsuit brought against the police department after an officer pointed a gun at the chest of a three-year-old back in 2013.

Aretha Simmons sued the city in 2014 over the execution of a search warrant, alleging that Chicago police pointed a gun at the chest of her 3-year-old daughter when they raided her home in August the year before, Fox 32 reports. Simmons said the girl also witnessed police violently shake her and point a gun at the head of the girl’s grandmother.

An expert later referred to the child’s trauma “one of the worst cases of child PTSD.”  A city lawyer also told the committee that the girl remains traumatized and will likely require psychiatric treatment all the way into adulthood.

The suit was set to go on trial earlier this year, but it was instead settled in February. The U.S. District Judge ordered the amount of the settlement to be kept confidential until it was released this week, according to WGN 9.

The Chicago Police Department has long faced criticism for their careless treatment of children during arrests. According to the Associated Press, a 2017 Justice Department report sharply criticized Chicago police for too often using excessive force, including against children. The city has since pledged to completely overhaul police procedures and training in order to make a change.