PHOENIX — Phoenix City Council voted Wednesday to award families a total of $800,000 in two high-profile wrongful death cases against the Phoenix Police Department.
The family of ex-NFL football player Ekom Udofia was awarded $250,000 for a 2020 wrongful death case.
Udofia was shot and killed by Phoenix Police after pointing a realistic looking BB pistol at officers near Indian School and 23rd Ave.
The council also awarded $550,000 thousand to the family of Dawn Bestenlehner.
Back in 2020, the UPS worker was standing on a sidewalk near 31st Avenue and Osborne, waiting for a ride home after her shift, when she was struck and and killed by a man driving a U-Haul truck.
The suspect was fleeing from Phoenix Police officers at the time after breaking into a cell phone store.
It was found that police did not follow protocol during the chase.
This afternoon's vote was mostly a formality. No family members were in attendance and no one spoke during the public comment period.
