Gerald Cole, who was shot by an Indianapolis police officer in the back, has just settled his lawsuit for $2.5 million.
The lawsuit stems back to an incident on Oct. 19, 2016. Officer James Perry was dispatched to the 100 block of North Denny St. He confronted Stephen Cole, Gerald’s brother, who was walking on the sidewalk carrying a box. Perry demanded that he put the box down and Stephen listened.
However, when Perry instructed for Stephen to sit on the ground, he objected. He said he didn’t do anything wrong and wasn’t getting arrested.
At this point, the accounts start to differ. Perry claims that Gerald assaulted him and took out a gun, forcing him to defend himself. Gerald, however, says that he just went to help his brother and got shot as he tried to run away.
According to the lawsuit, Perry put Stephen on the ground, got on top of him and threatened to hit him. Gerald grabbed Perry to protect his brother. He started to run away when he saw the officer pull out his gun.
Perry then fired his weapon and struck Gerald in his back and arm. Neither Gerald or Stephen had a weapon on them.
Gerald was rushed to the hospital where he told doctors that he had no feeling in his legs. Doctors later determined that he suffered catastrophic injuries, including nerve root damage, loss of bladder and bowel control, a burst fracture in the spine and traumatic shock.
Gerald had to spend eight days in the hospital and a month at in-patient rehabilitation. The effects of the shooting have truly changed Gerald’s life. He currently lives with his mother and requires daily assistance with dressing, using the bathroom and bathing. He also is in a wheelchair and has to take 25 pills every day.
“It’s to the point that sometimes I’ve even just held my legs and (was) like, ‘I don’t want to do this no more, I’m tired of doing this,'” Cole said in a June 2018 interview with IndyStar. “Not that I’m ready to give up, but that I’m just tired of going through what I’m going through.”
For information about personal injury claims, visit Cohen & Cohen, P.C.
