In 2014, Gregory Hill Jr. was shot to death in his own garage by two Florida sheriff deputies who were sent to his home. The police officers were called to investigate a noise complaint, as Hill was playing loud profanity-laden music in his garage, with neighbors fearing that children from the nearby elementary school would overhear the inappropriate music.

Upon knocking on Hill’s garage door, the police encountered Hill, who greeted them and began to close the garage door. Tragically, he was shot to death by the officers, dying instantly. The details of the incident remain unclear, with Hill’s daughter, observing from the elementary school across the road, asserting that her father did not threaten the officers with a gun. In contrast, the police officers claim they were indeed threatened with a gun.

Evidence from the crime scene suggests Hill’s daughter may be telling the truth, despite her obscured view. Hill’s body was discovered with a gun tucked in his back pocket, contradicting the claim that a gun allegedly in his hand would have fallen to the floor in front of him after he died. The events that transpired in those brief seconds between the garage door opening and closing remain unknowable.

The Court’s Case

Hill’s family took their case to court, where his mother sued St. Lucie County Sheriff Ken Mascara and Christopher Newman, the deputy who fatally shot her son, for wrongful death. They sought damages ranging from $500,000 to $11 million, but a technicality in the Floridian legal system viewed Hill as largely responsible for his death. Reports indicated that Hill was intoxicated at the time of the incident, and according to Florida state law, individuals who are intoxicated are often held accountable for their actions.

It made sense for the family to sue the police, particularly when considering the substantial costs and expenses that arise when a breadwinner passes away. Whether it’s funeral costs, grocery shopping, or covering expenses like garage door repairs, there are likely numerous essential financial burdens for the family to bear. For a widowed mother with three children looking to support her kids’ upbringing or handle a garage door repair, the financial struggle is likely to be overwhelming on her own.

The court case lasted for nearly 2 weeks in total, including 10 hours of deliberation among the jury. The jury eventually sided with Newman, finding him to be 1% at fault while Hill was 99% at fault for his own death, largely due to his own intoxication. Of course, this was devastating for Hill’s family, who needed the damages to pay for his funeral costs, which are estimated at $11,000, and likely to pay for any damages that their home suffered due to the incident including paying a garage door repair company to come out and fix or replace the door, the cost of which can vary from a garage door service provider to another.

The Settlement

The jury added insult to injury with the settlement money awarded to Hill’s family, the losing party. Instead of agreeing to cover his $11,000 funeral costs, they offered the family a mere $4. Yes, you read it right: 4 dollars. That’s not enough to buy a bouquet of funeral flowers, let alone repair a garage door.

The price was broken down as $1 for funeral costs and $1 for each of Hill’s three young children, aged 13, 10, and 7, respectively. However, because the jury found Mascara to be 1% at fault for the garage door shooting, he received 99% of the funds — $3.96 — while the Hill family received a mere 4 cents: 1 cent for his funeral and 1 cent for each of his children.

John Phillips, who represented the Hill family for the garage door shooting, described how baffled he was by the jury’s outcome regarding the garage door incident:

“I’ve never seen anything like it. If you lose a case, give zero dollars. If you win a case, give fair value. That’s where we’re just kind of confused. Were they trying to say that we should be punished for basically bringing the suit and thus the dollar? Or were they saying that the true value of these children’s pain was a dollar?”

He went on to compare the court case to tipping a waiter at a restaurant:

“[Without a tip] they may wonder if I forgot to tip, or if I was just cheap. If I leave a dollar, they’re going to know I intended to tip and this is an insult.”

The family sought damages for various aspects, including the profound loss of a working parent, the $11,000 funeral costs, and expenses needed to address house repairs and garage door fixes. Regrettably, they received almost nothing, being awarded a mere 4 cents in total by the jurors. Some suspect that the jurors, perhaps fatigued by the case, simply wanted to conclude proceedings without fully considering the gravity of their actions, leaving the family to fend for themselves.

Regarding it all, the police department commented:

“We are pleased to see this difficult and tragic incident come to a conclusion. Deputy Newman was placed in a very difficult situation, and like so many fellow law enforcement officers must do every day, he made the best decision he could for the safety of his partner, himself, and the public given the circumstances he faced. We appreciate the jury’s time and understanding and wish everyone involved in this case the best as they move forward.”

The Aftermath

Despite the humiliating court verdict, the family has experienced an outpouring of love from their local community. A GoFundMe page, created to seek justice for the Hill family and assist them during this difficult time, has surpassed its goal of $150,000. This heartening response shows that remarkable things can happen when communities come together.

According to the GoFundMe page’s description, John Phillips, the family’s attorney appalled by the court case’s verdict, plans to use the funds to alleviate the family’s suffering, ensuring a more secure future for them, including investments in schools and trust funds.

The GoFundMe page conveyed the following message: ‘The family attorney, John Phillips, will place any and all funds in an account, reserved for the children of Greg Hill and ensure that the funds are protected, that the family home is repaired or restored and that the children’s needs are taken care of. Should they be necessary, some funds may be reserved for the court costs in this matter. A full accounting will be provided to the family and the family and legal team are working together to have a full plan for the best distribution of all funds.’

This tragic event has shocked people from all over the country, including those in the garage door community, like ourselves. When we arrive to conduct a garage door repair or installation, the last thing we anticipate is it becoming entangled in a fatal shooting.