Dontrell Stephens, Florida man who was left paralyzed in police shooting, dies at 28

Dontrell Stephens, the Florida man who won a multimillion-dollar lawsuit after being shot and left paralyzed by a Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office (PBSO) deputy in 2013, has died.

He was 28.

Dontrell Stephens dies at 28

Stephens died from complications associated with his paralysis, attorney Jack Scarola told The Palm Beach Post, who represented Stephens in a civil lawsuit against PBSO.

“It was a variety of issues, including bed sores,” Scarola told The Palm Beach Post. Many paraplegics, including the actor Christopher Reeves, die of bed sores. Stephens had been in a hospital for about three weeks when he died.

“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.”

Dontrell Stephens was left paralyzed in 2013 after shooting

In September 2013, Stephens was shot in the spine by PBSO deputy Adams Lin, who stopped him as he rode his bicycle in West Palm Beach and mistook Stephens’ cellphone for a weapon.

The story made national headlines after a police dash camera video went viral showing the deputy shoot Stephens, then 20, as he ran away with his back to the deputy.

Lawsuit

Stephens filed a civil lawsuit against the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office. In 2016, a federal jury awarded Stephens $22.5 million during a civil trial, but the verdict was overturned by the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. The Florida House of Representatives later awarded Stephens $6 million, with Gov. Ron DeSantis signing off on the settlement in June 2020.