Man paralyzed by officer who mistook gun for Taser sues
Associated PressFORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A Florida man left paralyzed when a police officer shot him after mistaking his handgun for his stun gun filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the city, the officer and others, saying, “my life got destroyed.” Michael Ortiz is seeking unspecified millions of dollars from the city of Hollywood, Florida, and Officer Henry Andrews, 50, who is also facing a misdemeanor charge for the 2021 shooting — one of several over the last 20 years where officers say they mistook their gun for their Taser. The federal civil rights lawsuit also names officers Dionte Roots and Jhonny Jimenez, who were subduing Ortiz when Andrews shot him. Florida-based civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who is representing Ortiz along with attorney Hunter Shkolnik, said it’s an “injustice” that Andrews has been charged with only a misdemeanor. In a court filing in his misdemeanor case, Andrews, an officer for more than two decades, said he reached for his Taser but instead grabbed his gun, firing one shot into Ortiz’s back.
History of this topic
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Associated Press
EXPLAINER: How does an officer use a gun instead of a Taser?
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EXPLAINER: How does an officer use a gun instead of a Taser?
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