Phoenix approves $5.5M settlement to Ali Osman’s family, a man who police shot and killed

Phoenix to pay $5.5M settlement to Ali Osman's family

PHOENIX - The Phoenix City Council approved a multi-million dollar settlement in the death of a man who was shot and killed by police last year.

In September 2022, Phoenix Police encountered 34-year-old Ali Osman as he was throwing rocks at them. They responded with bullets – Osman was shot and killed.

The outcome ultimately led to the city agreeing to a $5.5 million settlement.

Body cam footage shows officers yelling commands at Osman before they opened fire.

Ali Osman

Police released body camera video of the incident in October 2022.

(Click here to watch. The video may be disturbing for some due to use of foul language and graphic imagery. Viewer discretion is advised)

Family members say he suffered from bipolar disorder and that officers failed to properly de-escalate the situation. The family filed their lawsuit against the city of Phoenix a year ago.

"Mental health concerns should not be a death sentence in this country, shouldn't have been a death sentence for Mr. Osman, shouldn't be a death sentence for anybody," Quacy Smith, the family's attorney said.

Osman’s family claims officers should have used less than lethal force.

The Maricopa County Attorney declined to file criminal charges against the two officers involved in the deadly shooting.

No charges for officers who shot a man dead

"So there's a sense of coming into justice that is felt here, and I think some of the things the city has done since Ali's death has been a show of good faith, some of their policy changes in their use of force policy. We have to give credit where it's due," Smith said.

In the last three years alone, Phoenix has paid nearly $10 million in settlements involving police misconduct.

In 2021, Phoenix approved a $5 million settlement in the death of Muhammad Muhaymin, who died of cardiac arrest while he was being arrested. In 2020, Phoenix approved a $3 million settlement in the death of Ryan Whitaker, who was shot and killed at his Phoenix apartment.

"This is not going to fix this, this is not going to make the hurt go away. Take this as a gratuitous notion from the city. View it in whatever way you need to, so you can heal and move on," Smith said.

Interim Phoenix Police Chief Michael Sullivan released a statement on Nov. 1, saying, in full:

"It is my hope the loved ones of Mr. Osman continue to heal from their loss.

The specifics of the case remain under internal investigation and they will be addressed once that is completed.

We value our relationship with the community we serve and take use of force very seriously.

One of my primary focuses since joining the Phoenix Police Department is for the agency to focus on de-escalation and continuous improvement.

We have implemented the use of non-lethal tools, provided training for officers regarding next-level de-escalation, provided training regarding proactive intervention, and we are nearing the completion of revising our use of force policies.

All of these efforts incorporate national best practices and are nationally recognized programs."