DOTHAN, Ala. – The city of Dothan will pay $250,000 to settle a lawsuit stemming from a Dothan police officer involved shooting.
Robert Earl Lawrence died in December 2014 during a scuffle with Officer Adrian Woodruff at the Dothan Animal Shelter. Lawrence had gone there to drop off a stray dog he found wondering around a Walmart parking lot.
Woodruff asked him to provide identification, required by shelter policy, but Lawrence refused. Afterwards, the two got into a scuffle which led to the shooting. She apparently believed he was attempting to wrestle her stun gun away.
Lawrence’s girlfriend and three children witnessed that shooting.
A Houston County Grand Jury cleared Woodruff of wrongdoing and a federal lawsuit followed.
An appeals court judge last year raised serious questions about whether the shooting had been justified and Dothan faced the possibility of a massive settlement had the case gone to trial or, at the least, hefty legal fees.
The $250,000 settlement, contingent on city commission approval, is inclusive of attorney fees. The commission will vote on the matter Tuesday.
