NY town finally apologizes for police killing of Mass college student

MOUNT PLEASANT, N.Y. — The family of a college student from Easton killed by a police officer in New York has now reached a final legal settlement over his death.

D.J. Henry was a 20-year-old football player at Pace University when he was shot and killed in 2010.

The Town of Mount Pleasant, N.Y. agreed to a settlement with the Henry family Tuesday and announced the end of a long legal battle with a joint statement.

The town will make a financial payment to the family and a donation to the D.J. Henry Dream Fund, a charity for children set up by the Henry family.

The town also issued an apology, saying "statements made by its officials in the hours after the incident caused additional pain to the henry family."

Henry was shot and killed by a police officer outside of a bar in Mount Pleasant.

Officers from several towns had rushed to the scene because there was a disturbance during a homecoming party.

As the crowd left, henry pulled his car into a fire lane. An officer approached the car and Henry slowly started driving away. At that point, witnesses said officer Aaron Hess either stepped in front of the car or jumped onto the hood.
He then shot and killed Henry.

Immediately after the shooting, Mount Pleasant's police chief said Henry "aggressively" drove at two police officers, causing them to shoot at him.

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“These statements do not fully or fairly represent the events of that early morning,” the town said.

Henry's family said Tuesday they are grateful the town has finally admitted the police chief's statement was not true.

Federal prosecutors spent years investigating Officer Hess, but decided against filing civil rights charges.

Last year, Henry's family reached a $6 million civil settlement with Officer Hess and his police department.

The D.J. Henry Dream Fund helps children participate in sports programs or attend summer camps.

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