The City of San Diego has agreed to pay $30 million to the family of a 16-year-old boy who was shot and killed by San Diego Police at the Santa Fe Depot in January. The settlement aims to resolve the wrongful death lawsuit filed by his parents.
City Council is expected to approve the agreement on Tuesday, Dec. 9.
According to the lawsuit, Konoa Wilson was killed on Jan. 28, 2025, just three months before his 17th birthday. Earlier this year, CBS 8 reported that Wilson’s mother filed a tort claim—often the first step toward filing a lawsuit—asserting that her son did nothing wrong other than running for safety.
“My son was killed by a police officer (Daniel Gold) while running away from gunshots fired by a third party. He was shot in the back and represented no imminent threat to Officer Gold nor to anyone else at the time he was shot by Officer Gold,” the claim states.
Many of the allegations described in the tort claim appear again in the lawsuit.
City documents describe the settlement as a business decision and note that it does not represent an admission of liability by any party. When contacted, the City Attorney’s Office declined to comment.
What happened to Konoa Wilson?
Just before 9 p.m. on Jan. 28, Wilson stood near the train tracks when another teenager pulled out a gun and started shooting at him. Wilson immediately ran as bullets flew past him.
San Diego Police Officer Daniel Gold, who was at the station on an unrelated assault call, heard the gunfire and drew his weapon, according to body camera footage. As Gold approached the entrance, Wilson ran directly past him. Gold then fired two shots at the teen while Wilson continued fleeing from the gunfire. Gold identified himself as a San Diego Police officer only after firing the shots.
Wilson’s screams are heard in the body camera video as he runs behind a police cruiser.
The lawsuit claims Gold saw Wilson for “one second” before shooting.
As Wilson lay bleeding in the street, officers and first responders discovered a gun concealed under his clothing. However, the lawsuit states Wilson never brandished the weapon and posed no threat to Officer Gold or anyone else that night. It also alleges Gold violated department use-of-force standards, which allow deadly force only in the “necessary defense of human life.”
Wilson was taken to the hospital and pronounced dead less than an hour after he ran past Officer Gold.
The lawsuit further alleges that Gold committed an act of racial violence by shooting a Black teenager who was running toward safety.
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