San Diego may pay $30M to family of Black teen fatally shot by police

The city of San Diego is poised to approve one of the nation’s largest settlements in a police-related killing, weighing a $30 million settlement to the family of Konoa Wilson, a 16-year-old Black boy who was fatally shot by a San Diego police officer in January.

Newsweek has reached out to the San Diego Attorney’s office and the Wilson’s family attorney for comment via email on Saturday.

Why It Matters

Police violence and racial tensions have been major issues in the U.S. for years, fueling mass movements for police reform. Protests surged after the killing of George Floyd in 2020, driven by Black Lives Matter (BLM) demonstrations and renewed calls to shift funding away from law enforcement.

In 2021, Minneapolis approved a record $27 million civil settlement with Floyd’s family after he died when a police officer pinned him to the ground and pressed a knee on his neck.

According to Mapping Police Violence, a nonprofit aggregating data, “police have killed at least 1,079 people in 2025.”  

What To Know

In June, Wilson’s parents sued the city of San Diego and police officer Daniel Gold in connection to their son’s death six months earlier. The family says Wilson was fleeing gunshots fired at him from someone else when he encountered Gold who shot the boy twice in the back. The teen was pronounced dead at the University of California San Diego Health Medical Center nearly an hour later.

Authorities released body camera video of the January 28 shooting that shows Wilson running through a corridor after someone pulled a gun on him. The footage shows Wilson emerging at close range as Gold moved toward the corridor. Gold then fired on Wilson, later saying “San Diego Police.” The family argues in their lawsuit that Gold “instantly, without any warning” fired on the teenager.

In a video compilation of the footage posted on Facebook in February, the police department wrote, “When officers began providing medical aid, a firearm was located concealed under clothing in the juvenile’s right thigh area.”

Gold was in the area due to an unrelated nearby call, the lawsuit and San Diego Sheriff’s Office stated. At the time of the shooting, Gold had been with the force for two years.

A resolution authorizing the $30 million to Wilson’s family has been added to the city council agenda for Tuesday, the Associated Press reported, which also noted the money would be paid from the Public Liability Fund.

What People Are Saying

Nick Rowley, the Wilson family attorney, said in a statement to City News Service on Friday: “What happened to Konoa was a catastrophic failure of policing. A 16-year-old boy was running for his life. He was not a threat and not a suspect, yet he was shot in the back by a police officer who only saw him for one second before deciding to pull the trigger.”

The San Diego Sheriff’s Office said in a late January press release: “The investigation and review process for officer-involved shootings are extremely thorough. When the Homicide Unit completes its investigation, it will be reviewed by the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office to determine if the officers bear any criminal liability for their actions. The San Diego Police Department will conduct an administrative investigation into the officer’s discharge of his firearm.”

What Happens Next?

The city council is expected to authorize the money on Tuesday.