Case of Michigan teen who died after trooper shot him with Taser settled for $12 million

Damon Grimes died in August 2017 after Trooper Mark Bessner shot him with a stun gun while the teenager was riding an ATV.

Dec. 30, 2019, 12:57 PM EST
By Minyvonne Burke

The family of a teenage boy killed in 2017 by a Michigan state trooper after he was shot with a Taser while riding an all-terrain vehicle reached a $12 million settlement.

Damon Grimes' mother and two sisters will receive $7.8 million, according to court documents in their wrongful death lawsuit against the Michigan State Police. The family's lawyers will receive about $4 million.

Damon, 15, died in August 2017 after Trooper Mark Bessner fired his Taser at him from the front seat of a patrol car while Bessner and his partner chased the boy. Damon's ATV crashed after he was shot with the stun gun.

Bessner, who had a history of misconduct allegations involving his Taser use, quit the state police after the teen's death and was charged with involuntary manslaughter. He was found guilty in April, sentenced to five to 15 years a month later and ordered to pay restitution to the Grimes family.

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