NY Family Paid $4.5 Million to Settle Lawsuits Over Police Shooting of Hostage

The family of a Hofstra University student killed by police while being used by a home invasion suspect as a human shield in a 2013 off-campus shooting has settled a pair of lawsuits for $4.5 million.

Andrea Rebello, 21, of Tarrytown, New York, was fatally shot by an officer during a botched home invasion that also killed the gunman.

Rebello's family accused the department of negligence and said the officer acted "recklessly and unnecessarily" when he fatally shot Rebello and her hostage-taker. The family also said officers were not properly trained and supervised on how to handle hostage cases.

The Nassau County Legislature on Monday voted to approve the payouts, the Associated Press reports.