Gregory Vaughn Hill Jr, a 30-year-old resident of Fort Pierce, Florida, was fatally shot on January 14, 2014, by St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Deputy Christopher Newman. Deputies were responding to a noise complaint about loud music coming from Hill’s garage; as Hill began to close the garage door, Deputy Newman fired, striking Hill. The deputy said Hill had a gun; an unloaded firearm was later found in Hill’s back pocket.

A grand jury declined to indict Deputy Newman. Hill’s family filed a wrongful death suit against Newman and Sheriff Ken Mascara alleging excessive force and Fourth Amendment violations. In 2018 a jury awarded the family a total of $4 in damages. Later legal proceedings included a 2022 federal jury finding that no excessive force had been used.

What details about the incident or the legal record would help clarify what happened that night?