The family of an unarmed Black man who was shot and killed during a 2020 traffic stop has been awarded a historic settlement in a wrongful death lawsuit.
Earlier this month, a California jury awarded $30.5 million to the family of 39-year-old Mickel Lewis, Sr., ruling that Sheriff's Deputy Jason Ayala used "excessive and unreasonable force," per KGET.
The settlement marks the second-largest jury award doled out for a police shooting case in California history.
Lewis was fatally shot during an October 2020 traffic stop, during which Ayala conducted a pat-down search of the victim and found no weapon.
Ayala told Lewis he intended to search his car. The deputy claimed he feared for his life when Lewis responded by running back to his vehicle and reaching under his seat for what Ayala believed was a gun. Ayala then fired five shots at Lewis, two of which hit him in the back.
According to attorneys for Lewis' family, the Kern County Sheriff's Department never offered them a settlement because they believed the jury would side with the police officer.
“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 said. “When you don’t value the life of everyone, the consequence is you undervalue what a jury would do.”
Lewis' children said the jury's ruling feels like a step toward 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, said.
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