Florida – A Black teenager, Timmie Lee Knox, who was only 17 years old at the time, was left paralyzed after being Tasered twice by Palm Beach County sheriff’s deputies during a 2021 encounter. He was unarmed and had committed no crime.
Now, three years later, Knox has received a $5.5 million settlement, but his story is raising major concerns over police conduct, racial profiling, and use of excessive force.
What Happened on That Day?
On May 7, 2021, Timmie was on his way to a children’s birthday party in John Prince Memorial Park. He was sitting in the back seat of a car with some friends. Two girls were in the front seats, while Timmie, a male friend, and two minors were in the back.
As they drove, an unmarked police car made a U-turn and began following them. The driver, nervous from being followed, pulled into a driveway. That’s when Deputy Dustin Sullivan and Deputy Christopher Francis stepped out and ordered everyone out of the car.
The Chase and Tragic Injury
When Timmie got out, Deputy Francis approached with a Taser already drawn. Afraid, Timmie ran away, jumping a fence and eventually climbing onto the roof of a house. According to the lawsuit, his hands were always visible and empty.
While on the roof, Timmie raised his hands to surrender, but Deputy Sullivan still fired his Taser, causing him to fall onto the roof. When he tried to get up, the deputy Tased him again, making him fall off the roof, landing on his neck and severing his spinal cord.
The fall left Timmie permanently paralyzed from the neck down.
Abuse Continued After Injury
The lawsuit claims the deputies then ran to where Timmie lay immobile and in pain, shouting at him to “get up”. Despite Timmie crying out that he couldn’t move, they slammed him again to the ground, making his injuries even worse.
No weapons were found, and Timmie was never arrested. Still, the sheriff’s office claimed no wrongdoing, and Sheriff Bradshaw cleared the officers without a full investigation.
Settlement and Restrictions
In July 2024, Knox agreed to a $5.5 million settlement, but the case only became public recently when the Palm Beach Post obtained the check through a public records request.
Under the terms of the settlement, the law firm representing Knox said they cannot release the Taser video footage showing the incident.
A Pattern of Police Abuse?
The case is not the first of its kind in Palm Beach County.
In 2013, another Black man, Dontrell Stephens, was shot four times by Deputy Adam Lin while riding his bicycle. Lin claimed Stephens had a weapon, but it was later revealed he was holding a mobile phone.
Stephens was also left paralyzed, and though a jury awarded him $22.5 million, he only received $6 million after appeals. He died in 2021, at the age of 28, due to complications from the shooting.
Despite this, Deputy Lin was promoted.
Ongoing Concerns About Police Behavior
The lawsuit involving Timmie Knox points out that several deputies in the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office have faced no serious consequences despite multiple cases of excessive force and unjustified encounters, especially in Black communities.
Deputy Sullivan, one of the officers involved in Timmie’s case, is described as reckless and confrontational. In 2021, a video surfaced of him threatening a woman for legally filming him in public.