© PINAC News
In what could be one of the most effective solutions for excessive force by police, federal marshals seized the personal possessions — from the sofa and lamps to clothing and an iron — of a South Florida deputy who shot a man holding a cell phone, paralyzing him.
Palm Beach County Sheriff's Deputy Adams Lin spotted 19-year-old Dontrell Stephens in a "high-crime area" — the man's own low-income neighborhood — on September 13, 2013, riding a bicycle in a manner the deputy found suspicious.
Lin stopped the youth, who dismounted the bike with a cell phone in his hand and slowly approached the officer. Just outside the range of dash cam video, the officer shot Stephens four times —
claiming he was in fear for his life — but
footage and evidence clearly showed the claim to be baseless.Three of the bullets remain lodged in Stephens' body,
according to the
Sun Sentinel — two in his arm and one in his spine, which left him paralyzed and dependent on a wheelchair for mobility.
In a lawsuit against Lin and the sheriff's office, a jury awarded Stephens over $23.1 million — an amount later slightly lowered to $22.4 million — which, as standard practice, would come straight from the pockets of taxpayers.
Comment: We can only hope that this all turns out to be hype and cooler heads will prevail but for now, things are looking quite ugly. Opera singer Andrea Bocelli has pulled out of performing at the inauguration due to death threats. See also: