Judge OKs Florida $2.2M Wrongful Death Award Against Sheriff

A federal judge has upheld a jury’s $2.26 million wrongful death award against the Marion County Sheriff’s Office in a case where two deputies shot and repeatedly shocked a suspect.

The Ocala Star-Banner reported that U.S. District Court Judge William Terrell Hodges upheld the jury’s verdict finding that the deputy who used a stun gun on the mortally wounded Joshua Salvato used excessive and objectively unreasonable force.

The 21-year-old Salvato died July 6, 2012 during a physical struggle with deputies Lauren Miley and Norman Brown in Summerfield.

Salvato had fought Brown and Miley after attempts to question him about reports that he had been acting oddly and shouting at traffic.

Sheriff’s Capt. Jimmy Pogue told the newspaper that the office will appeal.