The shocking moment a 39-year-old homeless man was fatally shot from his wheelchair after the family sued him for revenge after he refused to leave public land in Idaho where they were camping.

• Bodycam footage shows an unidentified man in a wheelchair shot 11 times in Idaho in May.

A homeless man left paralyzed after a group of plainclothes federal officers shot him 11 times as they tried to arrest him and his family for overstaying on public land is suing the authorities for $50 million.

The May 2023 shooting was recorded on the officer’s body cameras in Payette National Forest, about 50 miles from the Oregon border.

The clip shows officers arresting Brooks Roberts’ brother, Timber, and holding him near the disused school bus where the brothers lived with their mother, Judy, in the Idaho wilderness.

Timber, 35, calls for help, and seconds later, Brooks, 39, is seen on screen, in a wheelchair, reaching out to officers. Scenes move as authorities duck for cover.

From there, 11 shots are heard from the guns of the federal agents. Afterwards, Brooks can be heard apologizing and telling the officers he didn’t know they were cops. His lawyers say one of those bullets is now permanently lodged in his spine.

The officers did not identify themselves to Brooks. The shooting saw him in the hospital for five months. He was released in September. He is now paralyzed from the waist down and uses diapers.

The shooting part of an elaborate sting operation saw two officers approach Timber and say they needed help with their RV. When help came, they tried to arrest him.

’He was being carjacked and I thought they might have stabbed him or shot him. I thought they were car thieves,” Brooks told a local news station KTVB7.

In shocking footage, Brooks can be heard telling officers: 'I’m sorry, I thought my brother was being attacked. I didn’t know you were the police.

Brooks was allowed to carry a weapon under Idaho’s open-arms law.

At the time of his arrest, Timber was wanted on a disorderly conduct charge.

In an interview Idaho Statesman, The family’s lawyer said they were forced to leave the grid after the Covid-19 pandemic.

’Federal police officers secretly planned to arrest this homeless family for petty misdemeanors. „Officers knew the family would help two people they thought were stranded motorists,” said Craig Durham, the family’s attorney. interception In September.

„In the richest nation on earth, it’s a shame that our federal government spends so many resources harassing a homeless family, arresting one, permanently injuring one, instead of helping them find a place to live,” he said. went

Lawyers say the family is seeking $50 million for pain and suffering, lost wages, loss of enjoyment of life and trauma.

The family began to struggle through hard times in 2020 when Judy lost her job while recovering from a car accident and Brooks was injured while working at Walmart, forcing him to continue using a wheelchair.

According to the Idaho Statesman, Judy suffered from mental health issues for two of her sons and never graduated from high school.

After being told there was no room in emergency shelters, they fell on hard times having to live on public lands.

In 2021, Judy’s feet freeze due to the cold floor of the school bus, leading to double amputation. As a result, Timber, who was living with a girl, was forced to take the school bus again.

During their time living on public land, they frequently clashed with law enforcement officials. Authorities allege that Timber once told law enforcement that the home was booby-trapped and trespassers could be seriously injured.

said local resident Randy Hickman of McCall, Idaho KTVB Timber once threatened him with a knife.

’I see a guy standing outside my vehicle. He wanted something, I didn’t know what it was. So, I’ll open the door, come out and tell you what you want,’ Hickman said.

’He went back to a Chevy pickup […] Pulled a knife from the tailgate,” she added. „He brandished the knife and started to turn toward me. It made me feel so much better that I didn’t need to be here.

Last May, authorities decided to move the Roberts family after multiple false charges were filed.

All three have agreed with prosecutors to plead guilty and face no further prison time.

Idaho has about 2,000 homeless people. The rules state that people can only stay on government land for 14 days, then move beyond 25 miles and wait four weeks before returning to their original location.

The family said they complied with the order until they ran out of places to go.