Jury gives 4 cents to family of black man killed by Florida cop

[Theseus]

'Are y'all serious?' Jury gives 4 cents to family of black man killed by Florida cop
BY JOSH MAGNESS

jmagness@mcclatchy.com

June 01, 2018 10:08 AM
Updated 5 hours 56 minutes ago

 

In 2014, two officers with the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office in Florida went to Gregory Vaughn Hill Jr.'s home for a noise complaint.

 

Hill, a 30-year-old black man, had been blasting an expletive-laden song by Drake, according to court testimony reviewed by CNN, and an unhappy woman who heard the song called officers to complain.

 

The two deputies, including Christopher Newman, arrived to the house and knocked on the garage door, which Hill opened.

 

The officers exclaimed that the man had a gun, according to a lawsuit from Hill's family, and so the 30-year-old closed his door. Newman fired bullets through the garage door, hitting Hill once in the head and twice in the chest.

 

Hill's family filed a wrongful-death lawsuit in 2016 after a jury didn't indict Newman. They hoped to receive compensation for their suffering and wanted a jury to determine whether any of the deceased man's rights had been violated, according to The New York Times. 

 

Police say Hill brandished a handgun and refused to drop it when ordered, according to The New York Times, but his family disagrees.

 

A jury just handed down its decision. It led John Phillips, the family's attorney, to issue a bold proclamation: "Black lives don't matter."

 

At first, the jury gave the man's family $4. That includes a single dollar for each of Hill's children — aged 7, 10 and 13 — and another dollar for the man's funeral expenses, NBC reported. But the jury found that Hill, who had been drinking at the time, was 99 percent at fault for his own death.

 

So that $4 was then reduced to just four cents.

 

Monique Davis, the fiancee of Hill, told NBC that the decision left her feeling shocked.

"My heart just dropped," she said.. "It was like, are y'all serious?"

 

Phillips lamented that the jury sent the message that they "viewed these childrens' pain as virtually worthless."

 

"I'd have rather seen a zero," he told NBC, "than have to tell the children that their pain and suffering for losing their father is only a dollar."

Sheriff Ken J. Mascara praised the jury's decision, writing "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,” he wrote. “We appreciate the jury’s time and understanding.”

 

The two deputies did not realize they killed Hill after shooting through the garage door, according to the family's lawsuit, and then shot tear gas canisters through windows and called the SWAT team and snipers. The family argues the tear gas destroyed much of the home.

 

Court documents allege Hill was found dead with an unloaded handgun in his back pocket. A SWAT team first discovered that Hill was dead after using a robot to photograph the inside of the garage,

 

The New York Times reported.

 

Hill's fiancee said she isn't going to rest until she feels justice is served.

“I’m going to keep fighting until I get some justice,” she told The New York Times. “That’s the only way I’m going to get peace.”

[Indraman]

Pretty sad story, if everything is true. Sounds like the police used excessive force and the victims family should have been compensated. Mark this up as one of those examples of Police Brutality.

 

Indy

[Theseus]

The Police are not mind readers. The vic brandished a gun and surprised the officers with it when the garage door opened. The police said drop the gun. Now most people would put the gun on the ground. Not in this case. The guy should have done as told and then work out the details later instead decided to close the door. The officers had no idea what they stumbled upon. Man with gun refuses to abide by the wishes of the officers to drop it equals hail of bullets in the man's direction every time. This is how suicide by police is committed; doesn't matter race. Gun pointed at officer takes precedence over race, like Ace trumps king every time. A good example is if you point a gun at a person you have not committed a crime but as soon as you pull the hammer back you now have committed attempted murder.

Edited June 8, 2018 by Theseus

[caz1104]

If one pulls a gun.....be ready to use it.....or defend yourself. In this case the police didn't have the luxury/time to call 1-800-PSYCHIC hotline to determine mindset of person with gun

Edited June 8, 2018 by caz1104

[Shabibilicious]

The police basically pulled a drive-by in this case by shooting through the garage door.....they're lucky they didn't kill another person in that house with a stray bullet.  And if the police's story is plausible....the dead man would not have been found with an unloaded gun in his back pocket.  This is a bad deal all around and stinks to high heaven.  Just my knee-jerk reactionary opinion to a crime story with limited details.

 

GO RV, then BV 

[bohica]

IF, if he had a weapon or in some form was a threat to the life of the officer who shot him I think the court over paid his family.  

[caz1104]

On ‎6‎/‎8‎/‎2018 at 2:26 PM, Shabibilicious said:

The police basically pulled a drive-by in this case by shooting through the garage door.....they're lucky they didn't kill another person in that house with a stray bullet.  And if the police's story is plausible....the dead man would not have been found with an unloaded gun in his back pocket.  This is a bad deal all around and stinks to high heaven.  Just my knee-jerk reactionary opinion to a crime story with limited details.

 

GO RV, then BV 

Shabs

My question is.....why open garage door, then close it when police approach? So much negative interaction with police would be minimized if one would just adhere to police demands - JMO

[Shabibilicious]

16 minutes ago, caz1104 said:

Shabs

My question is.....why open garage door, then close it when police approach? So much negative interaction with police would be minimized if one would just adhere to police demands - JMO

 

Yeah I'm with ya.  Some people spend their entire lives dealing with law enforcement in one way or another.....and some people never even get a parking ticket.  I suppose law enforcement is different all over this country, some very strict, some that prefer warnings to tickets, some who rely heavily on fines for operating expenses and some that get good monetary support from local government and tax payers.....I don't know the answer.  He should have followed their commands that's for certain.  But I can't help but think how people in this country are so up in arms by what that consider overreach by the man.....and so listening to loud music in your own home and to be killed for it seems like a classic case of that overreach to me.  As always, just my opinion.

 

GO RV, then BV 

[caz1104]

1 hour ago, Shabibilicious said:

 

Yeah I'm with ya.  Some people spend their entire lives dealing with law enforcement in one way or another.....and some people never even get a parking ticket.  I suppose law enforcement is different all over this country, some very strict, some that prefer warnings to tickets, some who rely heavily on fines for operating expenses and some that get good monetary support system" rel="">support from local government and tax payers.....I don't know the answer.  He should have followed their commands that's for certain.  But I can't help but think how people in this country are so up in arms by what that consider overreach by the man.....and so listening to loud music in your own home and to be killed for it seems like a classic case of that overreach to me.  As always, just my opinion.

 

GO RV, then BV 

Under normal circumstance I agree. If ANYONE tells me to put my hands in the air....or to get on the ground....and they have a gun.....I'm for dang sure not going to call their bluff! But hey that's just me

[whatsfordinar?]

On ‎6‎/‎1‎/‎2018 at 4:09 PM, Theseus said:

Hill's family filed a wrongful-death lawsuit in 2016 after a jury didn't indict Newman. They hoped to receive compensation for their suffering and wanted a jury to determine whether any of the deceased man's rights had been violated, according to The New York Times.  

 

First, think of OJ-- indicted, tried, found 'Not Guilty'---then in a wrongful death suit, found responsible and was ordered to pay $30+ million in restitution.   Here a JURY did not find enough evidence to award any significant amount of money.  There is obviously more to the story that we don't know that proved to a JURY that the police did not violate the rights of this man...