FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — The Latest on closing arguments in a lawsuit filed by an unarmed black man who was shot and paralyzed by a Florida sheriff's deputy (all times local):
1:45 p.m.
An attorney for a sheriff's deputy who shot an unarmed black man and left him paralyzed told a federal jury the deputy made a "reasonably objective" mistake because the man moved his cellphone like it was a gun and was about to shoot.
Attorney Summer Barranco said in closing arguments Wednesday that Palm Beach County Sgt. Adams Lin didn't have the ability to slow down or stop the motions of 22-year-old Dontrell Stephens when they faced each other between two parked cars in September 2013. Lin testified Stephens had a dark object in his hand when he flashed it forward like it was a gun, leading him to pull his own gun and fire four shots. Stephens denies doing this.
Stephens is suing Lin and the sheriff's office, alleging his civil rights were violated by the 2013 shooting. Lin is Asian-American. Stephens is seeking at least $24 million.
