$540,000 will settle NN police death suit

U.S. District Judge Jerome B. Friedman in Norfolk, Virginia approved a $540,000 settlement in a civil rights lawsuit filed as a result of the death of Robert L. Harper, who was shot and killed by a Newport News police officer.  The lawsuit, filed in federal court, alleged excessive force by police and sought damages under, among other things, § 1983 of the Civil Rights Act of 1871.  Under Virginia law, wrongful death settlements have to be court-approved.