BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — A federal jury in Fresno has granted $30.5 million to the family of Mickel Lewis Sr., a man killed by a Kern County sheriff’s deputy following a traffic stop in Mojave in October 2020. Attorneys say this verdict may be the second-largest jury award for a police shooting in California history.
On Wednesday, the jury determined that Deputy Jason Ayala employed “excessive and unreasonable force and was negligent” in the fatal shooting, according to a statement from the Woodland Hills-based Law Offices of Dale K. Galipo, representing Lewis’ family.
“I’m very pleased with the jury verdict and thankful to the jurors for giving justice and fair compensation for the family of Mickel Lewis, Sr.,” attorney Dale K. Galipo said in the release.
Co-counsel J. Bernard Alexander stated, “We are grateful this Fresno jury showed reverence for the life of Mickel Lewis Sr., a 39-year-old unarmed African American father, who was shot five times, twice in the back, by a deputy sheriff who refused to account for his use of deadly force, and a Kern Sheriff Department that defended the indefensible.”
The award includes $5 million for Lewis’ death, $1 million for his “pre-death pain and suffering,” and $24.5 million in wrongful death damages for his children.
Sheriff’s officials stated that Deputy Ayala stopped Lewis on October 2 after he left a Wienerschnitzel in Mojave, aware that Lewis was on probation and possibly armed. Lewis initially complied but then fled from Ayala before turning back toward his vehicle.
Officials say he charged at the deputy with his hand in his waistband, prompting Ayala to open fire. No gun was found on or near Lewis, though a handgun was later discovered behind a utility pole where one of Lewis’ passengers had been seen after the incident.
Lewis had a lengthy criminal history, with at least 22 cases in California, including convictions for resisting an officer, spousal battery, and failure to register as a sex offender. At the time of his death, he was on probation and had multiple pending cases.
