Parents of Man Killed By Deputy Awarded $33.5 Million
I would like to think that these parents would rather have their son back than this money.
However, I'm glad they got something for the pain they endured.
A federal court jury has awarded $33.5million in damages to the parents of a man who was fatally shot by a Southern California sheriff's deputy.
Nathanael Pickett, 29, was killed in a confrontation with San Bernardino County deputy Kyle Woods in November 2015.
The jury found Wednesday that Woods unreasonably obtained the 29-year-old, delayed medical aid and was negligent in use of deadly force.
The award included $15.5million in compensatory damages and $18million in punitive damages.
The shooting occurred outside the El Rancho Motel in Barstow, California, which Pickett had recently moved into.Woods was on patrol when he saw Pickett look back at him several times while crossing the road before disappearing.The deputy assumed Pickett had jumped the fence to the motel and was trespassing, so he followed him.
When Woods approached Pickett, the man allegedly gave a false name and appeared to be intoxicated, according to the police filing.Woods claimed he tried to detain Pickett, but he ran and then jumped on the deputy before punching him multiple times.The deputy then allegedly warned Pickett that he would shoot him while pulling out his gun.
The county argued that Pickett grabbed for the gun, which prompted Woods to shoot because he 'feared for his life'.But plaintiffs' attorney Dale K. Galipo contended the assault account was made up.
During the trial, Galipo showed surveillance footage from the motel which doesn't feature Pickett throwing any punches or grabbing the deputy's gun.A witness who saw the altercation also claimed he never saw the Pickett throw punches or grab the gun.Galipo also showed pictures of Wood an hour after the incident and said the deputy doesn't appear like he was punched multiple times.
After deliberating for two hours, the jury awarded the parents $33.5million in damages, which experts say is among the largest awarded in a police shooting cases. -(AP and Danielle Zoellner, Daily