The Sheridan, Wyoming, City Council has agreed to pay $250,000 to a woman whose home was destroyed during a February standoff between police and a man suspected of killing a police officer.
In addition to the settlement, the Sheridan City Council also agreed Monday night to waive $27,000 in fees related to the construction ofa new house for Karo Hamilton, who was not at home when the standoff occurred.
Hamilton's insurer, Farmers Insurance, has also paid $217,000 under her homeowner's policy, according to Sheridan City Attorney Brad Timmesch. The total cost of rebuilding the new home at the site of the destroyed structure is estimated around $490,000.
In exchange for the settlement, Hamilton and her insurance company have agreed to drop all claims against the city and other law enforcement agencies involved in the standoff.
"It's been a road to get here, but I'm glad we're going to finally get to make her whole," Sheridan Mayor Richard Bridger said at the council meeting.
The day of the standoff was one of the most tragic in recent memory in Sheridan. The incident began when Sheridan Police Officer Nevada Krinkee attempted to serve a trespassing warrant on the suspect, 46-year-old William Franklin Lowery. Krinkee was shot and later died at a local hospital, and Lowery holed up inside Hamilton's home. Hamilton's mother was inside but managed to escape, along with her two dogs.
The standoff lasted 30 hours, during which law enforcement used an excavator and other tactics to force Lowery from the home, reducing it to rubble. Lowery fled the home, and he was shot and killed by police.
