FORT PIERCE — The jurors who awarded only 4 cents to the family of a black man fatally shot by a deputy in Florida struggled to reach consensus in the hours before their verdict.
Jury notes show the foreperson wrote the federal judge to say they couldn't reach a unanimous decision before finally deciding on the family's lawsuit against the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office last week.
The jury found 30-year-old Gregory Hill Jr. 99 percent responsible for his death because he was drunk when he was shot by a deputy responding to a noise complaint.
Hill opened his garage door to answer the deputy, who fired as the door came down again. A gun was found in Hill's pocket.
The jury awarded Hill's relatives $4 — $1 for funeral expenses and $1 each to Hill's three children, aged 7, 10 and 13 — of which they get 1 percent.