SAN ANTONIO – The family of Cameron Redus, the student who was shot and killed by a University of the Incarnate Word police officer in 2013, has settled their lawsuit against the university.
Details of the settlement are being kept confidential but Brent Perry, a legal representative for the family, called the settlement “satisfactory.”
“Mr. and Mrs. Redus are thankful that the lawsuit has been settled and they and we look forward to honoring the memory of Cameron through the settlement,” Perry said. “What happened to Cameron should not happen to other students like him.”
The wrongful death lawsuit was originally set to go to trial but court records confirmed the family and the university agreed to a resolution in September.
Redus, 23, was a senior when he was killed by former campus police officer Christopher Carter, who shot him after a physical struggle in a parking lot outside of Redus’ off-campus apartment.
Carter, a so-called “wandering officer” who had bounced between law enforcement jobs before the fatal shooting, pursued Redus’ vehicle after seeing it driving erratically along Broadway.
Audio from Carter’s body-worn microphone revealed Redus repeatedly ignored the officer’s commands and eventually fought with him, according to recordings obtained by KSAT.
Carter shot Redus in his upper back and left eye. He told investigators he feared for his safety after Redus grabbed his service baton and charged toward him while Carter attempted to take him into custody.
An autopsy found Redus, who was heavily intoxicated, was shot five times at close range.
The Redus family filed a lawsuit in 2014 against both Carter and the university that went all the way up to the Texas Supreme Court after UIW repeatedly argued that the school’s police force was entitled to governmental immunity.
The Texas Supreme Court rejected UIW’s case for immunity in May 2020 and stated that the private university “does not act as an arm of the State in its overall operations.”
Carter later resigned from UIW’s police department but was cleared of criminal wrongdoing in 2015 by a Bexar County grand jury.
Redus was a UIW senior honors student and the second oldest of five sons.
Mickey and Valerie Redus, Cameron’s parents, released the following statement Wednesday:
“The intervening almost nine years since we lost Cameron has been a period of horror, pain, and grief for our family and Cameron’s many friends.
“Cameron was a brilliant, talented, peaceful, and loving young man who had a profound impact on his school, community, and world. He was a wonderful person and a bright light in a dark world. It is an unspeakable tragedy that his light was extinguished far too soon. We will miss him forever.
“We reached a settlement agreement with University of the Incarnate Word, bringing a long and difficult chapter of our lives to a close. No settlement can ever bring our dear son back to us and we will carry our grief for the rest of our days, but we continue to praise and trust God and depend upon His guidance and rest in His peace.
“We sincerely appreciate the countless groups and individuals who have encouraged us, prayed for us, supported us, cried with us, and helped to tell Cameron’s story through our quest for justice.”
Cynthia Sanchez Escamilla, UIW Vice President for Legal Affairs released the following statement Wednesday:
“I believe it is important to share with you the news that the University of the Incarnate Word and the parents of Cameron Redus, a student who was killed during a police shooting incident in 2013, have reached a settlement agreement that ends ongoing litigation between the family and university.
“We entered settlement discussions with a sincere desire to reach an outcome that serves the best interests of all concerned and pray this resolution allows the Redus family to find some sense of peace.
“Our community continues to heal from the grief experienced after Cameron’s death, and we hope that members of the UIW community who did not have the opportunity to know him might be inspired by the tree planted in his memory on our Broadway campus, or the Mac Lab dedicated to Cameron in remembrance of his life.
“We have the utmost respect and sympathy for Cameron’s family and friends, who will continue to be welcomed members of our UIW community.”