Attorney: Man paralyzed by deputy shooting dies in hospital

MIAMI (AP) — An attorney says a Black 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. Scarola represented the 28-year-old man in his civil suit against the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office. Stephens, who was paralyzed from the waist down, was hospitalized for three weeks before his death. 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.