PHOENIX (AZFamily) — The Phoenix City Council approved on Wednesday afternoon a $1.2 million settlement over the wrongful death of a man who was shot and killed by officers in a case of mistaken identity more than six years ago.
The settlement goes to the four children of Henry Wayne Rivera, who was shot and killed by Phoenix police officers on March 13, 2019, near 19th Avenue and Monroe Street, just south of Van Buren Street, where officers were searching for a shooting and kidnapping suspect.
During the meeting, Councilwoman Anna Hernandez asked the department how they can ensure this doesn’t happen again. “How confident are you that it is going to make a difference once retraining happens?” she asked.
“The expectations are slowing down, taking time communicating at the scene amongst the officers on scene, making sure we know what we’re doing,” answered Phoenix Police Chief Matt Giordano.
Rivera was in a motel room with his girlfriend and their 4-month-old baby when he jumped out of the back window and started running when officers arrived.
Police said officers chased after him. He made his way through several yards, jumped over fences, and then stole a car before pulling into a nearby business.
At that point, police surrounded him, and he ignored commands. Officers then fired less-lethal rounds before Officer Andrew Carlsson and Officer Kyle Fricke shot him when he got out of his car. Rivera died at the hospital.
No weapons were found on him, and police later determined that they were actually looking for Eddison Noyola, who was arrested the next day.
Rivera had warrants out for his arrest for trespassing and skipping court, as well as past charges for theft and burglary.
Noyola has been in prison since 2021 on multiple felonies, including murder.
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