A West Virginia police officer has received a payout for wrongful termination after he was sacked for choosing to calm an armed suspect rather than shoot him.
Stephen Mader, 27, encountered a "visibly distraught" RJ Williams, 23, while responding to a domestic violence call on May 6, 2016, Metro.co.uk reports.
Mr Williams had a gun and was asking Mr Mader to shoot him during a tense standoff.
However, rather than resort to violence, the officer tried to talk Mr Williams down, using a soft voice and telling him he wasn't going to shoot.
The negotiations came to an abrupt end when two other officers arrived and shot Mr Williams after he raised the gun again.
He died at the scene.
Investigations following the shooting found the gun was not loaded at the time.
Mr Mader was fired after the incident, and the officer who killed Mr Williams was later cleared of any wrongdoing.
City officials said Mr Mader "froze on the scene" along with other infractions.
Mr Mader filed a lawsuit against the city of Weirton, West Virginia, due to the firing and will now receive US$175,000 (NZ$240,616) for wrongful termination.
Newshub.
