RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) – The City of Richmond and a Richmond Police Department officer have agreed to pay the family of an 18-year-old killed in a crash $3.75 million as part of a wrongful death lawsuit.
The night of April 7, 2022, Richmond Police Officer Richard Johnson and an officer in training were called in as backup officers for a burglary call. Johnson ran a red light at the intersection of Bells Road and Castlewood Road, hitting and killing 18-year-old Jeremiah Ruffin and 19-year-old Tracey Williams.
The family of Ruffin filed a wrongful death lawsuit, claiming Officer Johnson acted recklessly and with complete neglect of the safety of other drivers. In July of 2024, the city and Johnson settled with the Ruffin family without admitting liability or negligence.
“By reaching a settlement, you can pretty well tell that the defendants in the case decided that ‘We don’t want to run the risk of going to trial, so we’re going to settle this case,’” said 8News Legal Analyst Russ Stone.