Canton, James Williams Family Reach Proposed $3.5 Million Settlement

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Agreement in the fatal 2022 police shooting still requires court approval.

On The Corner | Local 330 News | October 24, 2026

CANTON, Ohio — The family of James Williams and the city of Canton have reached a proposed $3.5 million settlement in litigation arising from his fatal shooting by a Canton police officer on New Year’s Day 2022, according to WKYC’s October 20 reporting.

The agreement remains subject to court approval. News 5 separately reported that probate court approval is still required before the settlement becomes official.

The proposed resolution marks a significant development in a case that has drawn attention to police use of deadly force and the avenues available to families seeking accountability after a fatal encounter.

The shooting and the disputed facts

Williams was firing a rifle into the air from a fenced patio when Officer Robert Huber shot him through the wooden fence without first giving a warning, according to a March 6, 2026, opinion from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.

Huber testified that he saw the rifle moving toward him and feared for his life. The court said video evidence could support a different conclusion: that Williams continued firing upward and did not move the weapon toward the officer.

Those competing accounts were central to the civil case. The appeals court affirmed the denial of Huber’s request for summary judgment based on qualified immunity, allowing the claim to proceed.

That ruling did not establish liability. The judges said a jury needed to resolve the factual dispute; the constitutional outcome depended on which account it accepted. The opinion also described celebratory gunfire as dangerous.

Separate paths through the courts

A Stark County grand jury declined to indict Huber in September 2022, according to contemporaneous reporting by Ideastream Public Media.

Williams’ family pursued a separate civil lawsuit. The absence of a criminal indictment did not end that case, which later reached the federal appeals court.

For Canton residents, the proposed settlement is a development in that civil process. It should not be described as a criminal conviction or a jury verdict.

What remains unresolved

The immediate next step is court review of the proposed agreement.

News 5 quoted the family’s attorney, Bobby DiCello, emphasizing that compensation cannot fully address the loss. Whether the agreement receives approval remains the essential fact to follow before reporting the case as settled.

For now, the distinction is clear: Canton and Williams’ family have reached a proposed financial resolution, with final approval still pending.

Sources

WKYC — Family reaches proposed $3.5 million settlement. October 20, 2026. Settlement amount and pending status; full page access was restricted during preparation, so only retrievable reporting was used.
News 5 — Proposed settlement with James Williams’ family. Confirms the proposed agreement, probate approval requirement and family attorney’s response.
Sixth Circuit — Williams v. City of Canton, No. 25-3304. March 6, 2026. Primary court record for the shooting, disputed evidence and qualified-immunity ruling.
Ideastream — Officer will not face charges. September 7, 2022. Grand jury decision and family’s civil action.

Editor’s note: Settlement terms and approval status above are attributed to local reporting. The underlying settlement agreement and probate approval order were not independently obtained. Recheck approval status immediately before publication.