The City of Cincinnati has agreed to pay $1.45 million to settle a federal civil lawsuit filed by the estate of Quandavier Hicks, nearly 11 years after the 22-year-old Northside resident was fatally shot by police during an encounter inside his apartment.
The settlement, announced Jan. 13, comes after a decade of litigation over the June 9, 2015, shooting, which occurred as Cincinnati police were investigating a report that Hicks had threatened a woman during an alleged aggravated menacing incident. Officers went to an apartment building on Chase Avenue looking for Hicks, and police have said he pointed a rifle at them when he opened a door. Officer Doris Scott fired one shot, killing him. The department did not yet have body-worn cameras at the time.
Then-CPD Chief Jeffrey Blackwell said officers were responding to a 911 call in which a woman reported that Hicks had entered her home without permission and threatened her life. According to Blackwell, Hicks opened a door while officers were in the hallway, pointed a .22-caliber rifle at them, and was shot after an officer attempted to grab the weapon. Police said the shooting appeared to be within policy, though the investigation was ongoing at the time.
Hicks’ death sparked protests and renewed scrutiny of police use of force in Cincinnati, particularly in Northside, a neighborhood with a history of high-profile police shootings. In 2011, David “Bones” Herbert was shot and killed by police just a block away on Chase Avenue by officer Andrew Mitchell. CityBeat’s reporting in the days following Hicks’ death included an interview with his mother, Erica Woods, who traveled from Georgia and joined more than 200 people at a memorial march through Northside. Community activists called for greater transparency.
Hicks’ family filed a wrongful death lawsuit in 2016 against the city and three CPD officers. While courts later ruled the use of deadly force itself was justified, appellate judges in 2020 and again in 2024 said a jury should decide whether officers acted lawfully when they entered the building, reopening the possibility of liability.
Rather than proceed to trial, the city and the Hicks estate reached a mediated settlement, according to a news release from City Manager Sheryl Long. The agreement does not include an admission of wrongdoing and releases the city and officers from further liability.
Long said the decision was made to avoid the financial risk and uncertainty of a jury trial.
“While balancing the needs and resources of our law department, the minimization of financial risk, and the legal options available to us, I’ve concluded that this difficult decision is nevertheless the best one,” Long said.
Cincinnati City Council will need to approve the $1.45 million payment.