FORT PIERCE — A federal court jury found the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office partially liable in the January 2014 fatal shooting of Gregory Hill Jr. in the garage of his home, but damages awarded to Hill’s family amount to 4 cents.

After four days of testimony, evidence and attorneys’ arguments, the jury deliberated about 10 hours before finding on Thursday that St. Lucie County Sheriff Ken Mascara, in his official capacity, was negligent but was only 1 percent liable.

The jury found that Hill, who was 30, “was under the influence of alcoholic beverages to the extent that his normal faculties were impaired and that as a result of the influence of such alcoholic beverage,” he was 99 percent liable for the “incident and his resulting injuries,” according to the verdict form.

Deputy Christopher Newman was found not liable.

More:Trial to start in case against St. Lucie deputy

The jury awarded $4 in damages — $1 to Hill’s mother, Viola Bryant, for funeral expenses and $1 to each of Hill’s three children for loss of parental
companionship, instruction, guidance, mental pain and suffering.

Because the jury decided the sheriff was 1 percent liable, the portion of the award the Sheriff’s Office must pay is reduced to 4 cents.

The lawsuit filed by Hill’s mother in 2016 on the second anniversary of Hill’s death, alleged negligence and municipal liability against Mascara.

The suit also alleged that Newman, who already had been cleared by a grand jury, violated her son's Fourth Amendment right to be free from excessive force resulting in a wrongful death under Florida law.

Bryant’s attorney, John Phillips, argued that the deputy and Sheriff’s Office used “unreasonable, negligent and excessive” tactics, but the jury did not agree.

Mascara issued a statement through the Sheriff’s Office that said, “We are pleased to see this difficult and tragic incident come to a conclusion.

“Deputy Newman was placed in a very difficult situation, and like so many fellow law enforcement officers must do every day, he made the best decision he could for the safety of his partner, himself, and the public given the circumstances he faced.

We appreciate the jury’s time and understanding and wish everyone involved in this case the best as they move forward.”

More: Crime down 10 percent in St. Lucie County in 2017 despite population rise

Phillips did not make himself available for comment other than to say through his assistant in his Jacksonville office that he wanted to spend some time with his family this weekend and will review the trial and verdict before making any statements.

Newman shot Hill, who worked at a Coca-Cola warehouse, while he and his partner, Deputy Edward Lopez, were investigating a complaint about loud, obscene music at Hill’s home as students at Frances K. Sweet Magnet School, which is across the street, were being let out.

The deputies knocked on the garage door.

When no one responded, Newman knocked on the front door. He heard the music get louder and turned to see the garage door opening. Hill stood facing out of the garage with his left hand on the door and his right hand down.

Newman drew his gun, and as the garage door started to go down, fired four times toward Hill, tracking upward.

When a SWAT team arrived soon after and went inside the garage, it confirmed that Hill was dead and found a gun in his back pocket.

He had been shot three times: twice in the abdomen and once in the head.

Toxicology reports from Hill’s autopsy showed his blood-alcohol level was nearly 0.40 percent, almost five times the legal limit of 0.08 percent to drive, sheriff’s officials said.

Investigators identified his weapon as a 9mm handgun, which was later found to be unloaded.

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TBH the fact that you're even a mod here fits squarely within Jag's narrative of OK-sanctioned aggression, bullying, and toxicity. *shrug*

4 cents

imo.

hope this family can heal.

________
"promise yourself to be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind"-cl

BEFORE YOU JUDGE ME, make sure you're perfect.

"I'm hella Black, and irresponsibility ain't my culture. Yall niggas just gon have to own that as individuals"- Boo

or other stories sprinkled in

sorry I didn't clean is up

the link to the story should help..or not

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TBH the fact that you're even a mod here fits squarely within Jag's narrative of OK-sanctioned aggression, bullying, and toxicity. *shrug*

https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/31/us/florida-police-shooting-four-dollar-jury-award-gregory-hill/index.html

Issues pushing attorney to appeal
Thirty witnesses were called during the trial, Phillips said, some of whom contested Newman's narrative that he saw a gun and that he demanded Hill drop the weapon before opening fire.
Among those was Hill's oldest child, 13-year-old Destiny, who was 9 at the time. She sat on a bench at the school across the street as the encounter unfolded. She testified that her dad's hands were empty, according to court records.
Responding to the lawsuit claim that Hill never raised his firearm or threatened deputies, Newman retorted simply, "Denied."
Phillips said he has numerous problems with the court proceedings, which will help form the basis of his appeal.
One is what he called the "evasiveness" of a police expert, who, despite answering defense questions, claimed to be hard of hearing when Phillips questioned him, the lawyer said. Phillips also alleged deputies changed their story about how Hill was holding the gun and whether he aimed it at Lopez, the other deputy.
He also said there was no blood spatter on the gun, which seems to back the family's claim that the weapon remained in Hill's pocket the whole time.
There were issues regarding timing as well, the attorney said. It was determined that Newman fired all four shots in less than 1.2 seconds, and an expert said the final shot to Hill's head would have immediately disabled his motor capabilities. This raises the question in Phillips' mind: How did Hill get the gun in his back pocket after he was shot?
Another factor prompting the attorney to seek a new trial is that the defense mentioned Hill was on probation for drug possession, which Phillips feels was meant to vilify Hill, as Newman had no way of knowing this when he responded. Hill's probation was also set to "automatically terminate" 11 days before his shooting, he said.
Phillips has handled many high-profile cases, most notably the Jordan Davis "loud music" trial in Jacksonville, and said he has rarely been left so disturbed by a jury's findings. He said he will be filing his motion for a new trial in the same federal court in coming weeks.
"This one'll haunt me for a long time if we can't get it reversed," he said.

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If you can't understand it without an explanation

you can't understand it with an explanation

so they couldn't appeal

not sure if it's true

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TBH the fact that you're even a mod here fits squarely within Jag's narrative of OK-sanctioned aggression, bullying, and toxicity. *shrug*