EAGLE POINT, Ore. — Changes could be coming to the Eagle Point Police Department after a settlement is offered to the family of Matthew Thayer Graves.
Graves was shot and killed by police at a Carl’s Jr. last September when, during a struggle, a second officer showed up and saw what he thought was a gun.
It was, in fact, the first officer’s taser.
“Officer Cardenas has already heard gun… is it a gun, gun, and Officer Cardenas is now unholstering his firearm,” said Jackson County District Attorney, Beth Heckert in a September 2018 interview.
According to the settlement offer, the parents of Graves have been offered just over 1 million dollars. It also details that the defendants recognize the family’s motivation is to ensure an incident like this doesn’t happen again.
It’s why the department says it would make changes to its current tasers so that they are a bright color that’s more easily identifiable.
The family’s attorney released a statement to NBC5 News on Friday:
“We are encouraged to see that the Eagle Point Police Department is willing to change the color of its tasers to avoid future catastrophes. But the taser’s color is only one of the department’s problems that led to Matthew Graves being killed.”
At this time, it’s not known if the family will accept.
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