Unarmed Fla. Man Left Paralyzed in Cop Shooting Gets $23,100,000 

Dontrell Stephens was riding his bike back to a friend’s house in a Florida neighborhood in 2013 when an officer stopped him. The officer claimed Stephens rode into traffic. Stephens dropped his bike and within seconds the officer opened fire paralyzing the 22-year-old, who police would later admit was not armed. On Wednesday, a federal jury awarded Stephens $23.1 million claiming Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Sgt. Adams Lin violated Stephens’ civil rights, The Associated Press reports.

AP notes that even though a jury has awarded Stephens some $6 million for his medical expenses and $17.1 million for pain suffering, Florida lawmakers will have to approve the large settlement.

In September 2013, Lin stopped Stephens for riding his into traffic. Lin would testify that he didn’t recognize Stephens from the neighborhood and claimed that he shot him four times because he believed Stephens reached for something in his waistband. Stephens told the jury that he was shot as he was raising his hands. He added that his left hand was empty and he was only holding his cellphone in his right hand when Lin opened fire.

AP reports that the six-woman, two-man jury ruled after 3 1/2 hours of deliberation but added that an appeal of the settlement is expected. Stephens was initially seeking some $5 million to cover his future medical expenses but his attorney Darryl Lewis noted that amount to small as his projected care over his lifetime could cost as much as $6 million. In his closing arguments, Lewis added that he should get an additional $18 million for his pain and suffering. The jury agreed, rejecting “Lin’s claim that he had made an ‘objectively reasonable mistake’ when he shot Stephens,” AP reports.

Lin, 38 and a 12-year veteran of the sheriff’s office, was cleared of criminal wrongdoing in the shooting and, according to AP, was promoted to sergeant.

Read more at The Associated Press.

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