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Black Man Left Paralyzed After Police Mistake Him As A Burglar Settles Lawsuit For $750K

Bryant Heyward got shot in his own home by an officer who believed him to be breaking in has now settled a lawsuit against the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office. The incident happened in 2015 when Heyward called the police after armed robbers broke into his house. However, in confusion Heyward was shot by an officer and ended up paralyzed from the neck down. Heyward initially filed a $25 million lawsuit, however, settled for $750,000 his attorney Justin Bamberg told ABC News.

“This case was very complicated. Bryant was a completely innocent guy and everything that could have went wrong did go wrong,” Bamberg said.

“With no footage of the shooting, certain factual disputes created a proverbial he-said, he-said situation. However, nothing changes the fact that Bryant was an innocent homeowner shot in a tragic turn of events. His life changed forever, but he’s one of the fortunate ones who survived one of these bad encounters with law enforcement,” he added.

Heywarrd was reportedly holding a gun when sheriffs saw him which confused. Heyward reported to 911 dispatchers that two robbers had firearms and were “banging at the window” trying to break in. By the time the deputies arrived, the robbers were gone and Heyward was the one holding a gun.

Heyward was left paralyzed and in need of medical care for the rest of his life. According to his attorney, Heyward is now unable to wash his own body or feed himself without assistance.

“I’ve had a few cases in my career that emotionally put me through the wringer and this is one of them,” Bamberg said. “It hurts to have a young man who is in his late 20s tell you they would rather be dead because he can’t move anything below his neck.”

“Over time, his spirit revitalized and his spirit was rebuilt. Now he says, ‘I’m a survivor, I can beat this.’ He learned how to use this chair and he realized that he’s blessed because he still gets to talk to his loved ones and visit his friends,” he said.

The settlement agreement reportedly happened back in May because Heyward told his attorney to keep details private to protect him. But now he wants his story to encourage others.

“We didn’t say anything; we were mindful that what kick-started this whole thing was foolish people trying to break in to steal from him,” Bamberg said. “We didn’t want to put out how much money he got just in case someone tried to target his house again.”

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