The still pending release of a probe by the Dunbar Police Civil Service Commission into officers’ conduct that has cost the city’s insurer millions of dollars is creating controversy.
Eyewitness News reported, in an Oct. 28 letter from the head of the commission, Mark McMillian, to Mayor Scott Elliott and members of city council, McMillian said he had received and been made aware of numerous inquiries concerning the status of the commission’s “investigative efforts” related to suspected police misconduct that includes the deaths of Michael Scott and Robert Hensley. In Aug. 2023, a $2 million settlement ended a nearly year-long legal battle waged by the family of Michael Scott Jr., 34, against the city and two officers, Adam Mason and Zachary Winters. The defendants admitted no wrongdoing in the deal. The lawsuit said Scott’s death in July 2022 was the result of police brutality, disregard for his medical needs and the use of excessive force by officers.
McMillian said the commission reviewed the medical examiner’s report that concluded Scott died as a result of a head injury that he described as “very violent.” The report concluded Scott’s death was a homicide. Additional information will be released soon.