PRESS RELEASE REGARDING WILLIAM H. GREEN
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SEPTEMBER 28, 2020
MURPHY FALCON & MURPHY AND PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY EXECUTIVE ANGELA ALSOBROOKS ANNOUNCE HISTORIC SETTLEMENT
CONTACT:
Zachary McDaniels, Murphy, Falcon & Murphy 410-539-6500 Zachary.Mcdaniels@murphyfalcon.com
Gina Ford, Director of Communications, Prince George’s County Executive 301-952-4670 erford@co.pg.md.us
PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY, MD. –– Today, on behalf of the family of the late William H. Green, Murphy Falcon & Murphy announces a historic $20 million dollar settlement with Prince George’s County over Mr. Green’s shooting and death in January. The settlement is the largest ever in the history of the state of Maryland, and one of the largest in the nation, for an unlawful shooting by the police.
On January 27, just after 7:00 p.m., William was driving his car in Prince George’s County, Maryland, when he accidentally struck three parked cars. Two Prince George’s County police officers, including Michael A. Owen Jr., arrived and found William asleep behind the wheel of his car. After they took him out of the car, they searched and handcuffed him behind his back. Although neither search revealed any weapons or drugs, Owen arrested William and put him in the front passenger seat of his police cruiser. Owen got into the driver’s seat and several minutes later, gunshots rang out. Owen shot William from point blank range seven times, striking him six times in the torso. According to eyewitnesses, Owen then got out of the police cruiser visibly nervous and in a panic. The other officers dragged William, who was still alive and moaning and gasping for air, from the police cruiser and put him on the ground with his hands still cuffed behind his back. William Green was pronounced dead shortly thereafter.
Owen claimed that he and William had an altercation in the cruiser, but investigators discovered no evidence of any struggle. Within less than 24 hours of the shooting, Owen was charged with 2nd Degree Murder, Manslaughter, Involuntary Manslaughter, 1st Degree Assault, and Use of a Firearm in the Commission of a Crime of Violence. Owen remains in custody waiting for his criminal trial after having three separate requests for bail denied.
“William’s death is a tragedy and we and his family mourn his loss,” said Hassan Murphy, partner at Murphy, Falcon & Murphy. “And while nothing will diminish the pain the family feels, we commend the leadership that County Executive Alsobrooks has shown in taking swift and decisive action to charge Owen, to provide fair and reasonable economic justice to the Green family, and her efforts to reform the department that were already underway. She has set a new standard for how these matters should be handled.”
About Murphy, Falcon & Murphy
Murphy, Falcon & Murphy is a Baltimore-based law firm specializing in complex civil, criminal, and civil rights litigation. Our powerhouse legal team has a history of unrelenting dedication to its clients in Baltimore and across the country. Our team of seasoned trial lawyers has extensive experience in a wide variety of cases with success rates that dwarf national averages and is dedicated to providing smart strategies and creative approaches to complex litigation. Our team is driven and strategy-focused —characteristics that have helped us secure more than $900 million in verdicts and settlements, including over $75 Million in police cases throughout the country. Our attorneys have won some of the largest verdicts in high-profile, high-stakes cases in some of the toughest jurisdictions around the country. The firm represented Freddie Gray, Jr., achieving a historic settlement of $6.4 million for federal and state civil rights violations that led to his death.
*Each case is different. Past success does not guarantee a favorable result in any future case.