Dontrell Stephens is a 22-year-old who, like most other people who ride their bicycles around town, never expect to be shot by a race soldier cop. However, this is exactly what happened to Mr. Stephens in September of 2013.

Mr. Stephens was stopped by an officer by Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Sgt. Adams Lin on that fateful September date, and accused Stephens of reaching for a weapon in his waistband. As it turns out, Stephens was unarmed, and the only “dark object” that was in his hands at the time of his being stopped was a cellphone. Stephens explains that Adams Lin had already began to shoot him despite the fact that his hands were raised after being chased down and stopped.

Adams Lin, who’s Asian, was cleared of any criminal charges involving the shooting, and was promoted to sergeant after the incident. What’s alarming about Adams Lin shooting Dontrell Stephens was that he is a 12-year veteran of the sheriff’s office–ample time for an officer to gain the experience and proper judgement on how to deal with citizens–which makes his claims of innocence very suspicious at best.

Palm Beach County Sheriff Sergeant Adams Lin

Mr. Stephens’s attorneys say that their client will have more than $6 million worth of medical expenses in his lifetime because of the paralysis he suffered after being shot, and $18 million for his pain and suffering. A federal jury has awarded Mr. Stephens $23.1 million.

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B. Clark