The family of a Belle Glade teenager shot and killed by a Palm Beach County sheriff's deputy last year announced Tuesday they are filing a federal lawsuit against the sheriff’s office and the deputy who shot him.
Henry Bennett III, 19, was shot and killed by Palm Beach County Sheriff's Deputy Andrew Cano during a traffic stop on Jan. 16, 2016.
Dashcam video was released during a 10 a.m. news conference held by the Bennett family outside the Palm Beach County Courthouse in West Palm Beach.
Cano said Bennett pointed a gun at him as he ran from the scene.
However, Bennett's family says the video shows he did not have a gun in his hand.
The State Attorney's Office decided not to press charges against the deputy, saying the video supports his statements.
Attorneys for Bennett’s family say the video shows there is no gun in the teenager’s hand as he gets out of the car. They claim it would be unfeasible for Bennett to pull out a gun between then and when the officer fires his weapon, adding that while the sheriff's office claims a gun was found underneath Bennett’s body, there was no DNA or prints on the weapon.
The sheriff's office released the following comment after Tuesday's new video was released:
"As a general policy the Sheriff's Office does not comment on any legal litigation. This case was investigated for any criminal wrongdoing and officially cleared by Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office (Dave Aronberg)."