A man paralyzed after being shot by a Hollywood, Florida, police officer who mistook his own gun for a Taser has filed a federal lawsuit, court records show.

On July 3, 2021, police shot Michael Ortiz in the back while he was on the ground naked and in handcuffs, according to the complaint filed in US District Court for the Southern District of Florida.

Ortiz had called 911 from his mother’s house after having a “mental health emergency and chest pains,” according to the complaint. When first responders arrived, Ortiz had taken a shower and was speaking incoherently, and was placed on the ground where he was “flailing his arms and legs helplessly,” the complaint says.

Ortiz was tased by one officer and became alarmed after “regaining conscience,” and was still under the effects of the mental health crisis when a second officer then placed a gun on Ortiz’s back and shot him, according to the complaint.

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