PHOENIX (AZFamily) — The Phoenix City Council approved on Wednesday afternoon a $1.2 million settlement over the wrongful death of a man who was shot and killed by officers in a case of mistaken identity more than six years ago.

The settlement goes to the four children of Henry Wayne Rivera, who was shot and killed by Phoenix police officers on March 13, 2019, near 19th Avenue and Monroe Street, just south of Van Buren Street, where officers were searching for a shooting and kidnapping suspect.

During the meeting, Councilwoman Anna Hernandez asked the department how they can ensure this doesn’t happen again. “How confident are you that it is going to make a difference once retraining happens?” she asked.

“The expectations are slowing down, taking time communicating at the scene amongst

See Full Page