Jury awards $4 to family of black man killed by sheriff’s deputies in Fla.

A jury in Florida awarded just four dollars to the family of an African-American man who was shot in his own garage by a police officer.

The New York Times reports that a jury concluded last week that the officer who fired the shots that killed Gregory Hill four years ago did not use excessive force, but that the police department was “one percent” at fault for the death.

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Hill was shot three times by an officer responding to a report of loud music. Officers said he was holding a weapon, which was later found in his back pocket. 

The jury awarded Hill’s family just $4: $1 for his funeral expenses, and $1 for each of Hill’s three children.

“It’s heartbreaking,” Hill’s fiancée, Monique Davis, said after the ruling. “There are a lot of questions I want to ask.”

St. Lucie County Sheriff Ken Mascara praised the jury’s ruling on Facebook, calling it an end to a “difficult” and “tragic” situation.

Police are “pleased to see this difficult and tragic incident come to a conclusion,” Mascara wrote.

“Deputy [Christopher] 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 said. “We appreciate the jury’s time and understanding.”