Rawlins pays more than $900,000 in settlement for police shooting

The city of Rawlins agreed to pay $925,000 to the family of a man shot and killed by Rawlins police in 2015, according to a statement issued by the dead man’s family.

The settlement stems from a federal civil rights lawsuit brought by the family of John R. Veach, of Fort Collins, Colorado, against the agency and two of its employees, Sgt. Jared Frakes and Officer Joe Balestrieri.

According to the Tuesday afternoon statement, dash camera footage shows Frakes and Balestrieri were not in danger on Dec. 30, 2015, when they shot Veach as he tried to drive away from a traffic stop near a Rawlins gas station. Uinta County Attorney Loretta Howieson, the prosecutor assigned the case, in March 2016 ruled the shooting justified and declined to bring charges against the two policemen.

“Sergeant Frakes and Officer Balestrieri took the law into their own hands, serving as judge, jury, and executioner. Mr. Veach should still be alive,” David Lane, one of three civil rights attorneys representing the family, said in the written statement. “The killing of John Veach is a stain on the entire Rawlins Police Department.”

Read more: https://trib.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/rawlins-pays-more-than-in-settlement-for-police-shooting/article_14458ce3-286d-5bdb-b520-d11a60b2a195.html
(Casper Star Tribune)