The family of an unarmed father who was shot and killed during a 2020 traffic stop just received a historic judgment in a wrongful death lawsuit. The award is the second-largest jury award in the state’s history associated with a police shooting case.
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A California jury awarded $30.5 million to the family of 39-year-old Mickel Lewis, Sr. on March 19 after voting unanimously that an officer used “excessive and unreasonable force.” According to Vanguard News, Lewis was shot and killed during an October 2020 traffic stop. During the stop, Sheriff’s Deputy Jason Ayala conducted a pat down search of Lewis, who was on probation, and found no weapon.
According to Ayala’s testimony, the situation escalated when he told Lewis he planned to search his car. Ayala said he feared for his life when Lewis ran to his car and reached under his seat for what he believed was a gun. That’s when the officer fired five shots at Lewis, two of which struck him in the back.
Lewis’ attorneys said the Kern County Sheriff’s Department never offered a settlement because they underestimated the jury, believing they would automatically side with the police officer because Lewis was Black.
“There was never a point that a reasonable settlement offer was made. There was always an assumption that killing this citizen was of no consequence,” co-counsel J. Bernard Alexander told Vanguard News. “When you don’t value the life of everyone, the consequence is you undervalue what a jury would do.”
The $30 million award includes $5 million for Lewis’s loss of life, 1 million dollars for his pre-death pain and suffering, and $24.5 million in wrongful death damages to his seven children, according to NBC affiliate KGET.
Although Lewis’ children know that no amount of money will bring their father back, they feel the ruling is a step towards justice.
“I felt like the justice was when the jury stated that officer Ayala did use excessive force, and they were able to see that his actions were accounted for. That was a justice in my heart. I mean, money is one thing, but again, like you said, it’s never going to bring back my father, just overall. I mean, I feel that this trial was a step to justice for me,” Lewis’ daughter Brionna told ABC 23 Bakersfield.
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