An Atlanta cop’s split-second decision to deploy a Taser without warning in 2018 changed Jerry Blasingame’s life forever. The fall that followed left him paralyzed, and he died before a federal appeals court ruled that the officer responsible must pay $21 million in damages in a harrowing reminder of how long accountability can take in police misconduct lawsuits.
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Jerry Blasingame, described by the court at the time as a 65-year-old homeless man, was accused of panhandling in July 2018, 11 Alive reported. After Officer Jon Grubbs confronted him, Blasingame allegedly fled on foot. That’s when Officer Grubbs deployed his taser in dart mode, hitting Blasingame in the back and causing him to stumble down a “steep embankment.” He hit his head on a utility box’s concrete platform…