Attorney: Man paralyzed by deputy shooting dies in hospital
MIAMI – A Black man who received a multimillion dollar settlement after being shot and paralyzed by a Florida deputy in 2013 has died, his attorney said Thursday.
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 had been hospitalized for three weeks before his death, dealing with bed sores and other issues, Scarola said. He had been left paralyzed from the waist down from the 2013 shooting.
“Dontrell had a very sad and difficult life,” Scarola said. “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.”