The family of Christopher Walker, a father of 10-year-old twins who was struck and killed by Fresno police Officer David Hutchason, has reached a $3.25 million settlement with the city after litigation uncovered evidence contradicting the city’s initial account of the crash, attorneys for the victim said in a statement Tuesday.

“This was a tragedy that never should have happened,” said plaintiffs’ attorney Adam Carlson of Walnut Creek-based Casper, Meadows, Schwartz & Cook. “The city’s investigation failed these children twice. First, by allowing unsafe conduct to take their father’s life, and again by failing to uncover the truth.”

The statement said that Walker was walking home on a “dimly lit” Fresno County road when he was hit by Hutchason, who was on duty but not responding to a call.

Early reports described the Jan. 5, 2023, crash as unavoidable, but evidence later showed Hutchason was speeding and distracted by his cell phone, according to the statement.

The Fresno Police Department handled the investigation internally, and key evidence — including body-camera footage and documentation of critical conversations — was not recorded, the plaintiff’s attorney noted. Hutchason’s work-issued phone, which attorneys said was likely a source of distraction evidence, was discarded despite two preservation letters from plaintiffs’ counsel.

Forensic experts also disputed a postmortem toxicology report that listed Walker’s blood alcohol content at 0.26, saying traumatic injury and the lack of a standard vitreous humor sample made the finding unreliable, the plaintiff’s attorneys said. Experts concluded any trace alcohol would not have caused the collision.

The settlement was approved by the city of Fresno and finalized through a court-reviewed minor’s compromise, the statement noted.

—

Connect with Anthony W. Haddad on social media. Got a tip? Send an email.