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Jury Orders David Walls-Kaufman to Pay $500,000 to Officer’s Family

The decision comes after authorities concluded that injuries sustained in the riot were the sole cause of Officer Jeffrey Smith’s suicide.

This image from the Department of Justice statement of facts to support an arrest warrant for David Walls-Kaufman, shows an image from police body-worn video, contained and annotated by the source, of David Walls-Kaufman in the U.S. Capitol Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. (Department of Justice via AP)

Overview

  • Jurors assigned $380,000 in punitive damages and $120,000 in compensatory awards to Officer Jeffrey Smith’s widow and estate after finding chiropractor David Walls-Kaufman liable for assault.
  • Smith’s body-camera footage showing Walls-Kaufman striking the officer with his own baton was a key factor in the jury’s verdict.
  • A 2022 ruling by the District of Columbia Police and Firefighters’ Retirement and Relief Board determined that Smith’s injuries from Jan. 6 were the sole and direct cause of his death.
  • Walls-Kaufman previously pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor tied to the Capitol riot, served a 60-day sentence, and received a pardon from President Donald Trump in January.
  • Officials report more than 100 officers were injured during the Jan. 6 riot and at least four later died by suicide, underscoring the attack’s toll on law enforcement.