Widow of Andrew Kearse to receive $1.3M settlement
SCHENECTADY, N.Y. (WRGB) - More than $1.3 million is going to the widow of a Bronx man who died in the back of a Schenectady patrol car.
Andrew Kearse died in police custody in 2017 while visiting a friend in the Capital Region.
CBS 6 spoke to his wife about the settlement and what's next in her ongoing fight for justice.
Dash cam video shows Andrew Kearse pleading for help in the back of the Schenectady Police car, moments before he died from a heart attack. His cries ignored by the patrolman behind the wheel.
The attorney for Kearse's family tells CBS 6 $1.375 million will go to Kearse's widow Angelique Negroni-Kearse as a part of a settlement, pending a signature from the Schenectady mayor.
She spoke with us about the settlement today over the phone.
“No amount of money is going to bring Andrew back,” she said.
Before his arrest, authorities said 36-year-old Kearse had tried to run from police after he was pulled over for driving erratically.
A grand jury declined to indict officer Mark Weekes last year. The decision was partially based on testimony from a cardiologist interviewed as a part of the investigation who said it wasn't clear if Kearse would have survived with immediate medical attention. Weekes was cleared of wrongdoing.
Weekes is back on the job and has opened his own bus company. Angelique believes the officer got off scot-free.
“Not one charge. That's not fair. Why? Because he's an officer?,” she said
Andrew's death has left Angelique alone, with their four children. Since his death, she’s rallied with Black Lives Matter and is now working to pass the Andrew Kearse Act, a state law, that would hold officers accountable who fail to render aid.
Next, she says she wants to talk to Officer Weekes and ask him why he failed to act.
“He can give me an answer and tell me what happened, not only for me but for our children.”
We reached out to Schenectady Police and Mayor Gary McCarthy today for comment, the mayor told us he won't be making a statement until the settlement is signed.
