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(SAN ANTONIO, Texas) — Lina Sardar Khil’s family had held out hope that she would be found to celebrate her 4th birthday on Sunday, Feb. 20, at home, but two months after she went missing in San Antonio, Texas, there are still no answers.

“Her light is missing from her family and community. Our continuous prayer is that she will be back in the arms of those that love her,” Pamela Allen, who is representing the Khil family, told ABC News on Saturday.

Lina was last seen on Dec. 20, 2021 at a park on the 9400 block of Fredericksburg Road in San Antonio between 4:30 p.m. and 5:10 p.m., according to police. The park is near the family’s home at the Villa Del Cabo apartment complex.

On Sunday afternoon, Lina’s family and the community prepare to gather near the family home to celebrate her birthday and pray for her safe return home.

She was out of sight from her mother for an unknown amount of time before the mother realized Lina was nowhere to be found, according to the San Antonio Police Department.

“At this time there are no updates on Lina’s case. The missing person case involving Lina Khil is still an active missing person investigation,” a spokesperson for SAPD told ABC News on Friday. “The San Antonio Police Department, in partnership with our federal partners have worked tirelessly on finding Lina.”

Lina’s family is part of an Afghan refugee community in San Antonio. They arrived in the United States in 2019 and speak Pashto.

Lina’s mother, Zarmeena Sardar Khil, is pregnant with her second child. She spoke with FOX 29 in San Antonio through a translator earlier this month.

“I am missing my child, I cannot forget her and it is affecting me a lot and my other child who is coming to this world,” she said.

“We all have the same pain, it doesn’t matter that I am from Afghanistan, I have a different culture, different religion. What we have in common is the pain of motherhood as a human, is the same as all people,” she added.

The Afghan community in the city, along with a group of nonprofits and organizations have rallied behind the family, joining search crews, fundraising and raising awareness about Lina’s case.

The Islamic Center of San Antonio announced Wednesday that it increased a $100,000 reward for any information on Lina to $120,000. Meanwhile, Crime Stoppers of San Antonio has offered $50,000 for information resulting in the arrest or indictment of a suspect accused of involvement in Lina’s disappearance, bringing the latest total to $170,000.

The Eagles Flight Advocacy & Outreach organization, a San Antonio-based nonprofit, joined the search in early January, with about 150 people from the Afghan community showing up to help.

Allen, the CEO of the group, became the family’s spokesperson after meeting the Khils through her organization’s work. She told ABC News last month that the family believes Lina was abducted.

“We believe someone has her,” she said. “And so that this is what the family believes — that someone has their daughter and hopefully keeping her alive.”

Lina has brown eyes and straight, brown hair, and was last seen wearing a black jacket, red dress and black shoes, according to police.

Last month, Allen’s organization shared a newly surfaced photo taken by a family member of Lina the day she disappeared in hopes that details about Lina’s jewelry could assist the public in identifying her.

In the photo, which was obtained by ABC News, Lina appears to be wearing blue bangle bracelets on one wrist and gold-toned bangles on the other. She is also wearing small gold earrings and an article around her neck that Allen said is known as the Taweez, which is etched with verses from the Quran and is usually worn for protection.

Police are urging anyone with information regarding Lina or her whereabouts to come forward and contact the missing persons unit in San Antonio at 210-207-7660.

ABC News’ Kiara Alfonseca contributed to this report.

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(NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.) — One police officer was killed and another was injured after a police helicopter crashed on Saturday into the water near Newport Beach in California.

The helicopter crashed at about 6:30 p.m. local time, as two officers from the Huntington Beach Police Department were responding to nearby Newport Beach, the department said.

“The helicopter crashed for reasons that we’re not certain of,” Huntington Beach Police Chief Eric Parra told reporters late Saturday. “One of the officers, a 16-year veteran, was extricated and he went to a local hospital, or nearby hospital, where he is in critical condition, but he is doing okay. The other officer, a 14-year veteran, unfortunately and tragically passed away as a result of injuries sustained during the crash.”

Officials identified the officer killed as Nicholas Vella, 44. The second officer was not identified.

The National Transportation Safety Board and the Orange County Sheriff’s Department major accident reconstruction team are investigating the incident.

“I don’t have details on what potentially caused the aircraft to become disabled,” Parra said.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates. ABC News’ Izzy Alvarez contributed to this report.

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(PORTLAND, Ore.) — A woman was killed and five others were injured on Saturday in a shooting at a park in Portland, Oregon, police said.

Officers responded to a report of a shooting near Normandale Park in northeast Portland at about 8 p.m. local time, the Portland Police Bureau said in a statement.

“When officers arrived they located a female victim who was deceased,” the department said. “Additional shooting victims, two men and three women, were transported to area hospitals and their status is unknown at this time.”

Police have not yet identified the victim.

Normandale Park sits near the intersection of Northeast 55th Avenue and Northeast Hassalo Street, in the city’s Rose City Park Neighborhood.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates. ABC News’ Keith Harden contributed to this report.

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(NEW YORK) — A dangerous winter blast is making its way across the east coast, bringing areas of heavy snow, strong winds and ushering in bitter cold temperatures for the rest of the weekend.

Snow squall warnings have been issued from Pennsylvania to Massachusetts Saturday, alerting of heavy snow and low visibility as the snow sweeps through the region.

The squalls are expected to wrap up later Saturday evening.
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Wind advisories are in effect for most of the Northeast with gusts as high as 40- to 50-miles-per-hour. The winds will subside after midnight giving way to a cold start to Sunday.

Wind chills Sunday morning will be in the single digits from New York to Boston.

Wind chills Sunday morning will be in the single digits from New York City to Boston and it will feel like the low 20s from Washington D.C. to Raleigh, North Carolina.

Temperatures are expected to rise for the beginning of the week.

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(NEW YORK) — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers about potentially contaminated food, lipstick and other products from Family Dollar stores in six southern states following a major rodent infestation at one of its distribution centers.

Live rodents, dead rodents in “various stages of decay,” rodent feces and urine, “evidence of gnawing, nesting and rodent odors,” dead birds and bird droppings were found inside a Family Dollar distribution center in Arkansas during an inspection January, according to the FDA.

More than 1,100 dead rodents were recovered from the Arkansas distribution center following a fumigation around that time, according to the agency. There is evidence this has been a persisting issue at the facility for far longer, the FDA said.

A review of the company’s internal records showed more than 2,300 rodents were collected between March 29 and Sept. 17, 2021, according to the FDA.

“No one should be subjected to products stored in the kind of unacceptable conditions that we found in this Family Dollar distribution facility. These conditions appear to be violations of federal law that could put families’ health at risk,” Associate Commissioner for Regulatory Affairs, Judith McMeekin, said in a statement.

Rodent contamination may cause salmonella and infectious diseases, which may pose the greatest risk to infants, children, pregnant women, the elderly and immunocompromised people, the FDA said.

The FDA said products that originated from the distribution center were sold in over 400 Family Dollar stores in six states: Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee.

The products include “human foods (including dietary supplements (vitamin, herbal and mineral supplements), cosmetics (skin care products, baby oils, lipsticks, shampoos, baby wipes), animal foods (kibble, pet treats, wild bird seed), medical devices (feminine hygiene products, surgical masks, contact lens cleaning solutions, bandages, nasal care products) and over-the-counter (OTC) medications (pain medications, eye drops, dental products, antacids, other medications for both adults and children).”

Consumers are urged to not use any of these products if they were purchased after Jan. 1, 2021, and to contact the company regarding impacted products.

The FDA said it is working with Family Dollar to create a recall list and a website for more information.

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(MINNEAPOLIS) — Former Brooklyn Center Police Officer Kim Potter was sentenced to 24 months and a fine of $1,000 on Friday, following her conviction in the death of Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old Black man who was fatally shot during a traffic stop.

Potter will serve 16 months in prison and the remaining eight months on supervised release, a sentence far below what the prosecution sought. Judge Regina Chu acknowledged the sentence was a “significant downward departure” from sentencing guidelines.

“This is one of the saddest cases I have had in my 20 years on the bench,” Chu said when delivering the sentence. “Officer Potter made a mistake that ended tragically, but she never intended to hurt anyone.”

Chu said she received “hundreds” of letters in support of Potter, all of which she said she had read.

The maximum sentence for first-degree manslaughter is 15 years and a $30,000 fine, and for second-degree manslaughter it’s 10 years and a $20,000 fine.

Speaking to reporters outside the courthouse, Arbuey Wright, Daunte Wright’s father, described how upset he is with the sentence Potter was given.

“I walk out of this courthouse feeling like people are laughing at us because this lady got a slap on the wrist and every night we are still waiting around crying, waiting for my son to come home,” he said.

Ben Crump, a lawyer for the Wright family, said the judge’s comments at sentencing “showed a clear absence of compassion for the victim in this tragedy and were devastating to the family.”

“Today’s sentencing of Kim Potter leaves the family of Daunte Wright completely stunned. While there is a small sense of justice because she will serve nominal time, the family is also deeply disappointed there was not a greater level of accountability,” Crump said in a statement.

Before the sentencing, Katie Ann Wright, Daunte Wright’s mother, delivered an emotional and tearful impact statement Friday, asking the judge to give Potter the maximum sentence.

“I will never be able to forgive you for what you have stolen from us,” she said, while addressing Potter during her statement. “You took his future.”

“My life and my world will never be the same,” she said.

In her statement, Katie Ann Wright said she would not be able to give Potter sympathy.

“How do you show remorse when you smile in your mug shot after being sentenced to manslaughter, after taking my son’s life?” she asked.

Katie Ann Wright told the judge that Potter left her family’s world with “so much darkness and heartache.”

She said that Potter never once said her son’s name, only referring to him as “the driver,” which she saw as dehumanizing her son, she said.

“I will continue saying your name until driving while Black is no longer a death sentence,” she said.

In a tearful statement, Potter tearfully apologized to the Wright family and responded to them calling her out for “never looking at them.”

“I didn’t feel like I had the right to look at any of you,” Potter said. “I am so sorry that I hurt you so badly.”

A Minnesota jury convicted Potter, 49, of first-degree and second-degree manslaughter in the April 11, 2021, incident. She had pleaded not guilty to both charges.

Arbuey Wright told the court the killing of his son was because of Potter’s recklessness.

“She was a police office longer than my son was alive,” Arbuey Wright said during his impact statement.

“She also damaged my whole family’s heart. Nothing will be the same. Everything we do as a family ends in tears because all we have is memories left of our son,” he said.

Daunte Wright’s sister, Diamond Wright, also addressed the court, saying how difficult the loss of her brother has been.

“I never thought that my brother would be killed by the same people we are supposed to feel protected by,” Diamond Wright said. “I feel like I have been living in a complete nightmare.”

She had also asked the judge for the maximum sentencing.

“You can’t tell me this was an accident, it is in plain sight,” she said. “How come I have to see my brother in a metal container just to talk to him”

In a court filing on Tuesday, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison’s office announced they sought 86 months, or seven years and two months, prison time for Potter. Sentences in the state are served concurrently, so Potter only would have served the higher sentence.

The prosecution had also asked that in the event the court sentences Potter to probation, that she serve at least one year in prison “to reflect the seriousness of Daunte Wright’s death,” and that the probation last at least 10 years, according to court documents.

Potter fatally shot Wright after initially pulling him over for an expired registration tag on his car. She then determined he had an outstanding warrant for a gross misdemeanor weapons charge and tried to detain him, according to former Brooklyn Center Police Chief Tim Gannon, who resigned after the incident.

As officers tried to arrest him, Wright freed himself and tried to get back in his vehicle. That’s when, according to Potter’s attorneys, she accidentally grabbed her firearm instead of her stun gun and shot him.

Wright’s death reignited protests against racism and police brutality across the U.S., as the killing took place just outside of Minneapolis, where the trial of Derek Chauvin, a former officer who was convicted of murdering George Floyd, was taking place at the time.

Potter took the stand on the last day of her trial, breaking down in tears and apologizing. “I’m sorry,” she said through sobs, “I didn’t want to hurt anybody.”

The jury deliberated for about four days before reaching a verdict on Dec. 23.

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(MINNEAPOLIS) — Former Brooklyn Center Police Officer Kim Potter was sentenced to 24 months and a fine of $1,000 on Friday, following her conviction in the death of Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old Black man who was fatally shot during a traffic stop.

Potter will serve 16 months in prison and the remaining eight months on supervised release, a sentence far below what the prosecution sought. Judge Regina Chu acknowledged the sentence was a “significant downward departure” from sentencing guidelines.

“I recognize there will be those who disagree with the sentence. That I granted a significant downward departure does not in in any way diminish Daunte Wright’s life. His life mattered. And to those who disagree and feel a longer prison sentence is appropriate, as difficult as it may be, please try to empathize with Ms. Potter’s situation,” Chu said.

Chu said she received “hundreds” of letters in support of Potter, all of which she said she had read.

“This is one of the saddest cases I have had in my 20 years on the bench,” Chu said when delivering the sentence. “Officer Potter made a mistake that ended tragically, but she never intended to hurt anyone.”

A surcharge of $78 will also be taken out of Potter’s prison wages. She already has a credit of 58 days served in jail while awaiting sentencing.

The maximum sentence for first-degree manslaughter is 15 years and a $30,000 fine, and for second-degree manslaughter it’s 10 years and a $20,000 fine.

Speaking to reporters outside the courthouse, Arbuey Wright, Daunte Wright’s father, described how upset he is with the sentence Potter was given.

“I walk out of this courthouse feeling like people are laughing at us because this lady got a slap on the wrist and every night we are still waiting around crying, waiting for my son to come home,” he said.

Ben Crump, a lawyer for the Wright family, said the judge’s comments at sentencing “showed a clear absence of compassion for the victim in this tragedy and were devastating to the family.”

“Today’s sentencing of Kim Potter leaves the family of Daunte Wright completely stunned. While there is a small sense of justice because she will serve nominal time, the family is also deeply disappointed there was not a greater level of accountability,” Crump said in a statement.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison in a statement said he accepts the judge’s decision and urged everyone to “accept her judgement.”

“I don’t ask you to agree with her decision, which takes nothing away from the truth of the jury’s verdict. I know it is hurtful to loved ones of Daunte Wright. I ask that we remember the beauty of Daunte Wright, to keep his memory in our hearts, and to know that no number of years in prison could ever capture the wonder of this young man’s life,” Ellison wrote.

“There is no cause for celebration: no one has won. We all have lost, none more than Daunte Wright and the people who love him. None of us ever wanted Kim Potter to recklessly pull the wrong weapon and kill Daunte Wright,” he said.

Before the sentencing, Katie Ann Wright, Daunte Wright’s mother, delivered an emotional and tearful impact statement Friday, asking the judge to give Potter the maximum sentence.

“I will never be able to forgive you for what you have stolen from us,” she said, while addressing Potter during her statement. “You took his future.”

“My life and my world will never be the same,” she said.

In her statement, Katie Ann Wright said she would not be able to give Potter sympathy.

“How do you show remorse when you smile in your mug shot after being sentenced to manslaughter, after taking my son’s life?” she asked.

Katie Ann Wright told the judge that Potter left her family’s world with “so much darkness and heartache.”

She said that Potter never once said her son’s name, only referring to him as “the driver,” which she saw as dehumanizing her son, she said.

“I will continue saying your name until driving while Black is no longer a death sentence,” she said.

Afterward, Potter tearfully apologized to the Wright family and responded to them calling her out for “never looking at them.”

“I didn’t feel like I had the right to look at any of you,” Potter said. “I am so sorry that I hurt you so badly.”

A Minnesota jury convicted Potter, 49, of first-degree and second-degree manslaughter in the April 11, 2021, incident. She had pleaded not guilty to both charges.

Arbuey Wright told the court the killing of his son was because of Potter’s recklessness.

“She was a police office longer than my son was alive,” Arbuey Wright said during his impact statement.

“She also damaged my whole family’s heart. Nothing will be the same. Everything we do as a family ends in tears because all we have is memories left of our son,” he said.

Daunte Wright’s sister, Diamond Wright, also addressed the court, saying how difficult the loss of her brother has been.

“I never thought that my brother would be killed by the same people we are supposed to feel protected by,” Diamond Wright said. “I feel like I have been living in a complete nightmare.”

She had also asked the judge for the maximum sentencing.

“You can’t tell me this was an accident, it is in plain sight,” she said. “How come I have to see my brother in a metal container just to talk to him”

In a court filing on Tuesday, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison’s office announced they sought 86 months, or seven years and two months, prison time for Potter. Sentences in the state are served concurrently, so Potter only would have served the higher sentence.

The prosecution had also asked that in the event the court sentences Potter to probation, that she serve at least one year in prison “to reflect the seriousness of Daunte Wright’s death,” and that the probation last at least 10 years, according to court documents.

Potter fatally shot Wright after initially pulling him over for an expired registration tag on his car. She then determined he had an outstanding warrant for a gross misdemeanor weapons charge and tried to detain him, according to former Brooklyn Center Police Chief Tim Gannon, who resigned after the incident.

As officers tried to arrest him, Wright freed himself and tried to get back in his vehicle. That’s when, according to Potter’s attorneys, she accidentally grabbed her firearm instead of her stun gun and shot him.

Wright’s death reignited protests against racism and police brutality across the U.S., as the killing took place just outside of Minneapolis, where the trial of Derek Chauvin, a former officer who was convicted of murdering George Floyd, was taking place at the time.

Potter took the stand on the last day of her trial, breaking down in tears and apologizing. “I’m sorry,” she said through sobs, “I didn’t want to hurt anybody.”

The jury deliberated for about four days before reaching a verdict on Dec. 23.

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(NEW YORK) — As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe, more than 5.8 million people have died from the disease worldwide, including over 930,000 Americans, according to real-time data compiled by Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Systems Science and Engineering.

About 64.5% of the population in the United States is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:

Feb 18, 8:40 am
Hawaii is only state without plans to lift mask mandates

Hawaii is the only U.S. state that has not announced intentions to end indoor mask mandates.

States across the country have moved to end masking requirements as cases of COVID-19 continue to drop.

Some governors have ended universal indoor and outdoor masking mandates, while others have lifted statewide face covering requirements for schools.

In a newsletter Wednesday, the Hawaii State Department of Education said there are no current plans to drop mask mandates in classrooms.

Three other states — California, Maryland and New York — as well as Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, have also not announced end dates for their indoor school face covering mandates.

-ABC News’ Arielle Mitropoulos

Feb 17, 7:10 pm
New Mexico ends mask mandate

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced Thursday that the state’s mask mandate for indoor areas is over, effective immediately.

Masks will still be required for some settings, “including hospitals, long-term care facilities and detention facilities.” School districts were allowed to determine if their mandates for classrooms would remain in effect, according to the governor’s office.

“Given the continued drop in hospitalizations and the lessening of the burden on our hospitals, it’s time to end the mask mandate. With vaccines, boosters and effective treatment options widely available, we have the tools we need to protect ourselves and keep our fellow New Mexicans safe,” Grisham said in a statement.

As of Thursday, 73.5% of eligible New Mexico residents were fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Feb 17, 6:55 pm
North Carolina governor urges school districts to drop mask mandates

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper urged local officials and school districts to end their mask mandates next month.

Mask use indoors has not been universally required in North Carolina since last spring, when the Cooper ended statewide requirements. Each school district in the state has made their own masking requirements.

If COVID-19 trends continue to decline, the governor is encouraging all school districts to drop their mandates starting March 7.

“It’s time to focus on getting our children a good education and improving our schools, no matter how you feel about masks,” Cooper said at a news conference.

As of Thursday, 62.7% of eligible North Carolina residents are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

ABC News’ Arielle Mitropoulos, Ben Stein and Leonardo Mayorga

Feb 17, 6:23 pm
Washington state to end mask mandate in March

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee announced that based on the state’s COVID-19 case and hospitalization rates, the mandate for masks in indoor settings would end March 21.

“We are approaching a place fairly shortly where we will not have to be wearing masks generally in these in these conditions,” he said during a news conference. “And we think this is both good for our health and our education of our children and the total reopening of our economy.”

Inslee added that businesses and schools would be allowed to issue their own mask mandate after March 21 if they choose to.

The governor also announced that the requirement for vaccine verification at large events will end on March 1.

ABC News’ Zach Ferber and Matt Fuhrman

Feb 17, 5:48 pm
California outlines endemic plan

Gov. Gavin Newsom and California health officials have released a plan to deal with COVID-19 once it becomes an endemic.

The plan, dubbed “SMARTER,” will focus on seven areas: shots, masks, awareness, readiness, testing, education and medicine.

Officials said that clear “on and off ramps” for future restrictions, such as mask mandates, will be created specifically for variants.

California Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly said case rates could determine future restrictions if the state faces a more deadly variant in the future, while hospital capacity could be the primary indicator if California faces a less virulent variant similar to omicron.

The state will publish a one- to two-page summary of the state’s current recommendations on COVID-19 in the next couple of days, according to Ghaly.

ABC News’ Matt Fuhrman

 

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(MINNEAPOLIS) — Former Brooklyn Center Police Officer Kim Potter will receive her sentence on Friday, Feb. 18 following her conviction in the death of Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old Black man who was fatally shot during a traffic stop.

A Minnesota jury convicted Potter, 49, of first-degree and second-degree manslaughter in the April 11, 2021, incident. She had pleaded not guilty to both charges.

The maximum sentence for first-degree manslaughter is 15 years and a $30,000 fine and for second-degree manslaughter — 10 years and a $20,000 fine.

In a court filing on Tuesday, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison’s office announced they are seeking 86 months, or 7 years and 2 months, prison time for Potter. Sentences in the state are served concurrently, so Potter would only serve the higher sentence.

The prosecution also asked that in the event the court sentences Potter to probation, that she serve at least one year in prison “to reflect the seriousness of Daunte Wright’s death,” and that the probation last at least 10 years, according to court documents.

Potter fatally shot Wright after initially pulling him over for an expired registration tag on his car. She then determined he had an outstanding warrant for a gross misdemeanor weapons charge and tried to detain him, according to former Brooklyn Center Police Chief Tim Gannon, who resigned after the incident.

As officers tried to arrest him, Wright freed himself and tried to get back in his vehicle. That’s when, according to Potter’s attorneys, she accidentally grabbed her firearm instead of her stun gun and shot him.

Wright’s death reignited protests against racism and police brutality across the U.S., as the killing took place just outside of Minneapolis, where the trial of Derek Chauvin, a former officer who was convicted of murdering George Floyd, was taking place at the time.

Potter took the stand on the last day of her trial, breaking down in tears and apologizing. “I’m sorry,” she said through sobs, “I didn’t want to hurt anybody.”

The jury deliberated for about four days before reaching a verdict on Dec. 23.

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(AUSTIN, Texas) — The City of Austin has agreed to pay a combined $10 million to two demonstrators who were injured during by police during the 2020 racial justice protests that took place in the city.

Two protesters, Justin Howell and Anthony Evans, were severely injured when police used “less-lethal” ammunition as a form of crowd control during protests that took place after the deaths of George Floyd and Michael Ramos, who was killed by an Austin Police officer, according to two civil lawsuits filed against the city.

Members of the Austin City Council voted Thursday to approve the settlements to Anthony Evans, who will be paid $2 million, and Justin Howell, who will receive $8 million, marking the largest settlement amount ever paid for a use-of-force case in Austin, ABC Austin affiliate KVUE-TV reported.

Howell was critically injured on May 31, 2020, when an officer shot him with “less-lethal” ammunition in downtown Austin, then-Police Chief Brian Manley told KVUE-TV the next day. Howell, who was a 20-year-old political science major at Texas State University at the time, suffered a fractured skull. He filed a civil lawsuit against the city in the Western District of Texas in August 2021.

Evans was peacefully protesting at the Austin Police Department headquarters on June 6, 2020, when he was hit with bean bags and foam bullets deployed by officers, KVUE-TV reported. Evans spent his 26th birthday undergoing surgery on his face, telling the station that his jaw looked like he “got hit by a car.” Evans underwent two surgeries, had a metal wire placed in his mouth for six weeks and now has a permanent titanium plate in his jaw, he told KVUE-TV.

Evans filed his lawsuit against the city in the Western District of Texas in October 2020.

In a statement to KVUE-TV, a City of Austin spokesperson said the city was settling lawsuits filed by two individuals who “suffered significant injuries” in the protests. The “significant dollar amounts” included in the settlement stem from the plaintiffs’ “need for ongoing and long-term care,” the spokesperson said.

“We have reviewed the totality of the circumstances surrounding the protests, and we believe it is in the best interest of these plaintiffs and the City of Austin to resolve these cases now,” the statement read. “We have other claims and lawsuits that have been filed as a result of injuries during the protests, and we will review each of those matters individually.”

Eleven Austin officers were disciplined for their actions during the protests after Manley completed his review of all known complaints and incidents involving officers during the demonstrations.

The Austin Police Department was not adequately prepared for the size of the crowd during the 2020 protests and did not anticipate the injuries that would occur from the “less-lethal” rounds, Austin Police Chief Joseph Chacon said in a statement. The department now prohibits less-lethal ammunition for crowd control.

“I understand the Council’s decision to settle these two cases now, and our hearts go out to these two individuals who received serious injuries during the May 2020 protests,” Chacon said.

ABC News’ Ben Stein contributed to this report.

 

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