FORT PIERCE, Fla. (AP) — The jurors who awarded only 4 cents to the family of a black man fatally shot by a deputy in Florida struggled to reach consensus in the hours before their verdict. 

Jury notes show the foreperson wrote the federal judge to say they couldn’t reach a unanimous decision before finally deciding on the family’s lawsuit against the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office last week. 

The jury found 30-year-old Gregory Hill Jr. 99 percent responsible for his death because he was drunk when he was shot by a deputy responding to a noise complaint. 

Hill opened his garage door to answer the deputy, who fired as the door came down again.  A gun was found in Hill’s pocket. 

The jury awarded Hill’s relatives $4, of which they get 1 percent. 

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