San Diego Agrees to Pay Koana Wilson's Family $30M. The Black Teen was Running from a Criminal who was Shooting at Him when a White Cop Saw Him for 1 Second and Fatally Shot Him in the Back

IN PHOTO 2 Konoa Wilson, left, with his father, Steven Lee Wilson.

From [HERE] The San Diego city attorney’s office has agreed to pay $30 million to the family of a 16-year-old youth who was fatally shot by police last January in what would be one of the largest settlements of a police-involved killing case in U.S. history.

Koana Wilson was recklessly shot by a San Diego police officer Daniel Gold II while the Black teen was running away from gunshots fired by another person. He was unarmed and seeking safety and the officer saw him for only one second or less before firing as he turned the corner (see video below).

Surveillance and body-worn camera footage from Jan. 28 showed Wilson running away from someone who pulled a gun and fired at him in a downtown train station. As he exited the station, Wilson encountered San Diego Police Officer Daniel Gold. Without any warning the officer fired two shots at Wilson. The shooting happened at the Santa Fe Depot located at 1050 Kettner Blvd. in San Diego. Wilson was pronounced dead at UC San Diego Health Medical Center less than an hour later.

A resolution authorizing the proposed settlement with the family of Konoa Wilson has been added to the city council’s agenda for Tuesday morning.

“What happened to Konoa was a catastrophic failure of policing,” family attorney Nick Rowley said in a statement to City News Service. “A 16-year-old boy was running for his life. He was not a threat and not a suspect, yet he was shot in the back by a police officer who only saw him for one second before deciding to pull the trigger.”

According to the complaint,

On January 28, 2025 at approximately 8:50 P.M., Defendant GOLD and another unidentified SDPD officer were responding to an unrelated call near Santa Fe Depot.

At the same time, DECEDENT and a friend entered Santa Fe Depot at approximately 8:50 P.M.

At approximately 8:51 P.M., DECEDENT was standing on the platform next to the Santa Fe Depot train tracks when a person, unknown to DECEDENT, took out a firearm and fired gunshots in DECEDENT's direction.

DECEDENT proceeded to run away from the gunshots down a corridor of the Santa Fe Depot in hopes of reaching a place of safety.

When the unknown SDPD officer heard gunshots in the area, he called "I got shots fired" over the police radio without any description of the shooter or suspects involved.

As DECEDENT exited the Santa Fe Depot corridor, he turned right onto Kettner Blvd. Immediately upon turning the comer, DECEDENT crossed paths with Defendant GOLD who instantly, without any warning (verbal or otherwise), fired two gunshots at DECEDENT, striking DECEDENT in the right side of his torso/back area. Prior to firing the gunshots at DECEDENT, DECEDENT was only observable to Defendant GOLD for one (1) second before Defendant GOLD began shooting at DECEDENT

At no point during these events did DECEDENT brandish a weapon nor did he present a threat to the physical safety or well-being of Defendant GOLD or any other person. DECEDENT was simply running away from an unknown person who was shooting in his direction while he was on the train platform.

Immediately after being shot by Defendant GOLD, DECEDENT fell into the roadway of Kettner Blvd., screaming and writhing in pain. There, he began to bleed-out into the street.

Only after shooting DECEDENT and watching him fall to the ground did Defendant GOLD finally announce "San Diego Police."

If approved, the settlement would exceed the $27 million the city of Minneapolis agreed to pay the family of George Floyd, whose May 2020 murder by a police officer who kneeled on his neck sparked a nationwide racial reckoning.

An agenda item posted Friday said the settlement would be paid from the Public Liability Fund.