Feds Pay $520,000 for Fatal Shooting

ST. LOUIS (CN) - The federal government will pay $520,000 to the family of a man a park ranger shot to death near the Gateway Arch in 2008.

Randolph Scott Jr. was 23. His family claimed that Ranger Joshua Updegraff used improper force, and that Updegraff had a history of undocumented incidents and had been improperly trained and supervised.

In their federal lawsuit, Scott's family claimed he was simply watching the flooded Mississippi River with others at 5:37 a.m. on June 29, 2009 when Updegraff killed him.

Updegraff Tasered Scott and shot him, the family said. Their attorneys told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that Updegraff should have called for backup, given a lawful directive and given that directive a chance to work.

Updegraff claimed he was responding to yelling he heard while at the ranger station on the bottom floor of the Arch parking garage.

He said he fired his Taser when he feared Scott was trying to get a weapon from his (Scott's) car and continued to use the Taser as Scott continued to struggle.

Updegraff claimed he tried unsuccessfully to handcuff Scott while Scott's friends jeered and cheered. Updegraff claimed he reached for his gun when Scott got to the car and told him he was going to run over him.

Updegraff acknowledged he fired as many shots as he could, and says Scott ran over him and dragged him about 100 feet.

Updegraff was transferred to Yellowstone National Park effective July 13, 2008, according to the Post-Dispatch.

Neither side admitted fault. Scott's family had asked for $10 million in damages.

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