A Florida officer who shot and a paralyzed an unarmed man in 2013 has been promoted.
Adam Lin, a deputy with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, was promoted to sergeant Wednesday, according to a WPBF report.
Lin fired multiple shots at 20-year-old Dontrell Stephens in September, 2013. Stephens was unarmed and reaching for his cell phone when Lin fired.
Lin told his department he thought Stephens was reaching for a gun.
The dashcam video of the incident was obtained by WPTV and released in April of this year.
“I thought it was a gun,” Lin said in the recording. “He started raising it toward me. I drew my gun and shot off three, maybe four rounds.”
The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office determined the shooting was justified.
Stephens was paralyzed from the waist down and has filed a civil suit against Lin. According to WPBF, a date has not been set.