MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (AP) - A South Carolina man was awarded more than $11 million dollars in a civil lawsuit after he was shot nine times by authorities during a drug raid and left paralyzed.
Julian Betton was shot by members of the Horry County Drug Enforcement Unit who fired 29 rounds at him during a raid on his Myrtle Beach home in April 2015. He was paralyzed after the incident.
Betton sued the drug enforcement unit, Horry County, Myrtle Beach and several officials in November 2015.
On Thursday, his attorneys held a news conference announcing Betton was awarded $8.5 million from the city of Myrtle Beach and $2.75 million from Horry County and drug enforcement unit members, news outlets reported.
“He had no business being alive after what they did to him,” said Bradley Bannon, one of three attorneys for Betton.
Defense lawyers said an informant told the DEU she had bought 15 grams of marijuana from Betton, which allowed the agency to obtain a warrant to search his home.
Officers told investigators they knocked on Betton’s door, announced who they were, waited, then entered Betton’s apartment. They said Betton pointed a gun at them and fired, so they returned fire.
A South Carolina Law Enforcement investigation revealed Betton did not fire his weapon as the agents said. Surveillance video of the home showed the officers fanning out in front of Betton’s door and smashing the door with a battering ram. At no point did it look like officers knocked and announced themselves, according to investigators. A neighbor also told investigators that officers did not wait before entering.
“It (looked) a lot like a military operation,” Bannon said.
Myrtle Beach Police Department and then-Chief Warren Gall reviewed the raid and found 11 major issues, including the need to train officers on constitutionally protected rights, according to reports.
No criminal charges were brought against the agents involved.
Myrtle Beach city Spokesman Mark Kruea said Thursday that the city’s insurance company decided to settle the case as the right thing to do for the city and Betton.
Kruea also said Myrtle Beach police no longer participates in the county drug enforcement unit.
“This was over $100,” said another attorney for Betton, Burton Craige. “Think about the overkill of a SWAT team of 12 people, armed with AR-15s and battering rams smashing into someone’s home for a $100 (worth) of marijuana.”
It’s unclear whether the DEU commented on the settlement.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.