WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — An attorney says a man who received a multimillion-dollar settlement after being shot and paralyzed by a Florida deputy in 2013 has died.
Attorney Jack Scarola told the Palm Beach Post that Dontrell Stephens died Sunday from complications associated with his paralysis. Stephens, who was paralyzed from the waist down, was hospitalized for three weeks before his death. He was just 28.
His story made national headlines back in September 2013 when Stephens was shot in the spine by deputy Adams Lin, the Post reports. Lin reportedly stopped Stephens as he rode his bicycle and mistook Stephens' cellphone for a weapon.
Dashboard camera video of the shooting went viral. It shows Stephens, who was 20 at the time, running away with his back to the deputy.
Scarola represented Stephens in his civil suit against the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.
A federal civil jury in 2016 awarded Stephens $22 million after he sued. The amount was negotiated down to $4.5 million, but the state Legislature in 2020 awarded a $6 million payment.
"Dontrell had a very sad and difficult life," Scarola told the Palm Beach Post. "I hope that as a consequence of the resolution of his case that he had some relief. But whatever relief he had was very short-lived."
Omari Hardy, a member of the Florida House of Representatives said he was saddened to learn of Stephen's passing, adding "I think it's safe to say that he would be here today if he hadn't been shot and paralyzed by PBSO."
