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Dashcam Video Shows Cop Shoot Unarmed Cyclist

A Florida sheriff's office is being sued after one of its deputies shot an unarmed cyclist, leaving him paralysed from the waist down.

Newly released dashcam footage from a police car shows Dontrell Stephens being shot four times after he was followed while riding a bicycle in West Palm Beach.

Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office Deputy Adams Lin said he pursued the 22-year-old to ticket him for impeding traffic while crossing a street on his bicycle in the September 2013 incident.

The deputy said he opened fire because Mr Stephens reached into his waistband and he thought he was armed.

In the dashcam video obtained by WPTV, Mr Stephens stops his bike next to a house after realising he is being followed by the squad car, which pulls up sharply behind him.

Carrying a mobile phone in his right hand, Mr Stephens walks toward the deputy.

He appears in view again seconds later with his back to the officer as gunfire rings out.

An internal investigation by the sheriff's department and state prosecutor ruled Mr Lin was justified in opening fire, and he returned to work four days later.

Mr Stephens, who is black, was left a paraplegic by his injuries.

In a deposition, the deputy said: "I feel bad for what happened, but I was not the cause of what happened."

The dashcam video was released as part of a lawsuit by Mr Stephens against the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office.

According to the civil complaint, Mr Lin's internal affairs file contains "numerous use of force reports, citizen complaints and incident reviews".

The Palm Beach Post reports that the sheriff's office initially alleged that Mr Stephens assaulted the police officer, even though he did not touch the deputy.

The department then instead accused Mr Stephens of refusing to obey a lawful order.

Mr Lin said he had told Mr Stephens to get on the ground.

But Jack Scarola, Mr Stephens' attorney, said no such command is heard on the video.

Richard Giuffreda, a lawyer representing Mr Lin and the sheriff's office, said the deputy's Bluetooth microphone did not activate in time to record his order.

"Adams Lin literally had a few seconds to decide what was in Mr Stephens' hand," said Mr Giuffreda.

Mr Lin said he was suspicious because he had not seen the cyclist in the neighbourhood before.

But according to the Palm Beach Post, Mr Stephens had only recently been released from jail after serving time for a drug charge.

It is the latest case of alleged police brutality in the US, particularly involving unarmed young black men.