| In the interest of speed and timeliness, this story is fed directly from the Associated Press newswire and may contain spelling or grammatical errors. |
LA to pay sister of actor shot at Halloween party $225,000
Wednesday April 09, 2003LOS ANGELES (AP) The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to pay $225,000 to the sister of an actor shot to death at a Halloween party when he pointed a fake gun at a police officer responding to a noise complaint.
Anthony Dwain Lee, 39, was shot in the head and back on Oct. 28, 2000, after he pointed a rubber replica revolver at Officer Tarriel Hopper.
Lee had appeared on such TV shows such as ``ER'' and ``NYPD Blue,'' and had a small role in the hit Jim Carrey movie ``Liar Liar,''
The Los Angeles Police Commission ruled the shooting did not violate police policy, adding Hopper was justified in using deadly force because he feared his life was in danger. City officials said they were confident they would have prevailed in court but didn't want to subject Lee's family to a trial.
``This was a really tragic incident, and it was important to resolve the matter, to both sides, before going through the events at trial once again,'' said Eric Moses, a city attorney's spokesman.
The actor's sister, Tina Lee-Vogt, had sought $100 million from the city before filing suit in Superior Court.
Her attorney, Johnnie Cochran Jr., said he was satisfied with the settlement.
``It's never enough, from a standpoint of a loss of a life and a relative, but you have to weigh all the factors,'' he said. ``It's not a large sum of money, but it is a recognition that she is entitled to recover.''
Witnesses said it wasn't clear if Lee knew Hopper was an officer because several party guests were wearing police costumes.
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