Michael Taylor
Michael Taylor was 16 years old when he died in September 1987, after he was shot in the head while riding in the back of an Indianapolis police car, handcuffed with his hands behind his back, on the way to the Juvenile Detention Center. He was taken to Wishard Memorial Hospital, where he died the following day. Police and the coroner ruled the death a suicide, but a civil jury in 1996 found that he did not take his own life, and the family's settlement with the city was later reduced and settled in 2000. His mother, Nancy Taylor, brought the lawsuit, and community leaders held pickets, rallies and meetings demanding answers about his death.
Cause of death, as reported: Cause not yet determined (disputed). Police and the coroner ruled it a suicide, but a 1996 civil jury found he did not take his own life, and his family's lawsuit won a settlement later reduced.
Reported by: Indianapolis Police (the agency that held him); the coroner; civil jury; his family's lawsuit (family or their lawyers).
Lawsuit: His family sued, a civil jury in 1996 found that he did not take his own life, and the case was later reduced and settled in 2000.