| US Jury Awards $4 to Family of Man Killed by Sheriff's Deputy |
| Written by <a href="index.php?option=com_comprofiler&task=userProfile&user=33791"><span class="small">teleSUR</span></a> |
| Saturday, 02 June 2018 13:49 |
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Excerpt: "Jurors in a Florida courtroom saw fit, after hours of deliberation Friday, to award the family of 30-year old Gregory Vaughn Hill Jr, who was fatally shot through his garage by a sheriff deputy, US $4 in compensation after they filed a wrongful death lawsuit."
US Jury Awards $4 to Family of Man Killed by Sheriff's Deputy02 June 18
The decision came after the judge presiding over the case asked the jury to determine if Hill's constitutional rights had been violated and, if so, whether his family should be compensated for their loss. The jurors agreed. In doing so, they decided that USD$1 should be awarded to Hill's mother for funeral expenses and USD$1 to each of his three children, according to the BBC. The court also determined that Hill was responsible for his death (citing intoxication), meaning only one percent of the total compensation package is liable to the sheriff's department. In hard numbers, it means that the department charged with maintaining public security only have to pay the family four cents. Monique Davis, Hill's fiancee, told NBC that the decision left her feeling shocked. "My heart just dropped," Davis said. "It was like, are y'all serious?" "It's heartbreaking. There are a lot of questions I want to ask," she added The family's lawyer, John Phillips, said “I think they were trying to insult” the family and Black community as a whole. "Why go there with the $1? That was the hurtful part." Jurors decided that sheriff's deputy Christopher Newman had not used excessive force when he fired his gun through Hill's garage door, killing the father of three young children and warehouse employee. On January 14, 2014, police officers arrived at Hill's residence on a call of loud music coming from Hill's garage. They knocked on his garage. Hill raised the door. Upon seeing police outside, he proceeded to shut it. As the door closed, Newman fired his weapon four times, hitting Hill three times, once in the head. "He made the best decision he could for the safety of his partner, himself, and the public given the circumstances he faced," the sheriff's department noted in a statement noting "Deputy Newman was placed in a very difficult situation." |
urors in a Florida courtroom saw fit, after hours of deliberation Friday, to award the family of 30-year old Gregory Vaughn Hill Jr, who was fatally shot through his garage by a sheriff deputy, US $4 in compensation after they filed a wrongful death lawsuit.