Town of Culpeper Settles With Family of Woman Who Was Killed by Cop, Claims of Wrongful Hiring, Retention Dismissed with Prejudice

Almost two years ago in Culpeper, Virginia,
Officer Daniel Harmon-Wright shot and killed Patricia Ann Cook in a
parking lot outside of a private school. That now former cop is

serving three years in jail after being convicted of
manslaughter for the killing of Cook. Cook’s family also sought to
bring a civil suit against Harmon-Wright for Cook’s death, as well
as against the former police chief, for wrongfully hiring
Harmon-Wright, and the current police chief, for wrongfully
retaining him. In a settlement reached between Cook’s family and
Culpepper, the claims against the police chiefs will be dismissed
without prejudice, while an undisclosed amount will be paid for the
claim against Harmon-Wright for wrongful death. The suit was

originally brought by Cook’s husband, against Harmon-Wright
alone, but the husband diesd shortly after of natural causes, and
the lawsuit was picked up by Cook’s brother, who also added the
claims against the two police officers. The family attorney, Greg
Webb, explained why they chose to settle,
via the Culpeper Star-Exponent:

“The family has devoted significant time and energy
into trying to make sure that the important questions presented in
this case were answered,” Webb said. “However, a case like this
carries a heavy human cost to the family, especially when those at
fault refuse to acknowledge their role and fight every step of the
way.

“Rather than allowing for closure and peaceful grieving, it
requires continued revisiting of the horrific loss and turns the
victims into targets themselves,” the attorney said.

Pat Cook’s mother, Mrs. Weigler, is nearly 76 years old and in poor
health, Webb said.

Had the wrongful death suit in Cook’s death been decided by a jury,
“We are confident that the citizens of Culpeper would have
recognized that though Harmon-Wright pulled the trigger [and] he
was not the only one responsible for this tragedy,” Webb
said.

Several significant legal hurdles stood in the way of the cases
against Jenkins and Boring, he added, so much so that it would have
continued the civil litigation for years to come.

“The family believes that this settlement, at this time, is in
their best interests, as well as the best interests of Pat’s
memory,” Webb said. “From the beginning, this lawsuit was about
seeking justice for Pat and answers for Culpeper. To some degree,
that was recently obtained in the actions of those concerned by
agreeing to a settlement.”

The ability to wait out a lawsuit is one advantage governments
always have in avoiding accountability in court. If the amount
being paid by the town’s insurance company remains undisclosed,
residents will never know just how much poor police hiring
practices and training policies cost them. And nothing else will
happen.

Previous Reason on the killing of Patricia Cook
here,
here, and
here.