Baltimore County jury on Friday awarded more than $37 million in damages in the civil lawsuit brought by the family of Korryn Gaines, the 23-year-old Randallstown woman who was shot and killed by county police after a six-hour standoff in 2016.
The jury of six women said the first shot fired by Cpl. Royce Ruby at Gaines, killing her and injuring her then-5-year-old son, Kodi, was not reasonable and therefore violated their civil rights under state and federal statutes.
The jury awarded more than $32 million to Kodi in damages, and $4.5 million for his sister, Karsyn.
Gaines’ father and mother were awarded $300,000 and $307,000, respectively, and the Gaines estate was awarded another $300,000. No punitive damages were awarded.
Maryland has a cap on local governments’ liability in certain cases, however, and some legal experts speculated Gaines’ relatives might not see the full amount of the jury award.
The jury took less than three hours to reach its verdict against Ruby and the Baltimore County government.
There were gasps in the courtroom when the jury forewoman read the decision, and Gaines family members were in tears following the announcement.
The case garnered national attention, with some activists citing it as an example of excessive police force against people of color.
Kenneth Ravenell, the attorney for Kodi’s father, Corey Cunningham, said they were “blessed” that the jury “quickly, swiftly returned a justified verdict on behalf of a child who was victimized by Officer Royce Ruby.”
“This is a great day. This is a great statement on behalf of many who have been victimized by police officers — too many — in our community,” Ravenell said.
Cunningham said the financial award will help Kodi, now 6, “get the help that he needs.”
“I’m very happy that the jury came back and saw and realized what was going on in that courtroom wasn’t right, and what
happened on Aug. 1 wasn’t right,” he said.
Gaines’ mother, Rhanda Dormeus, spoke to reporters through tears outside the courthouse.
“This win is for all of my sisters in the movement who have lost their children to police violence,” she said. “Some of them have never received justice, either criminally or civil. I just want to tell them that this win is for them.”
Family attorney J. Wyndal Gordon donned a Colin Kaepernick jersey before speaking to reporters. He said he was “filled with pride” that the jury made a decision to make the family whole.
“Royce Ruby was nobody’s hero. He wasn’t a hero to his comrades or fellow officers. He wasn’t a hero to the community. He was a coward,” Gordon said.