City of Tyler reaches $300K agreement

TYLER — The city of Tyler released a settlement of a lawsuit on Wednesday. Tyler is paying $300,000 to the woman who says two Tyler police officers and five Smith County sheriff’s jailers caused the death of her son. The city of Tyler says the agreement is is not an admission of wrongdoing on behalf of the city or the two police officers named in the wrongful death suit. The city council voted unanimously to ratify the settlement last week. In May of 2017, Teddy Parker, 32, became unresponsive, and turned purple while being put into the Smith County Jail on a public intoxication arrest. He was removed from life support two days later at ETMC, now UT Health Tyler. Smith County has not yet settled the suit.