Dale Galipo: Jury awards $30.5M to family of man killed by Kern County deputy

Jury awards $30.5M to family of man killed by Kern County deputy: attorneys

by: Jason Kotowski of KGET.com

Posted: Mar 20, 2025

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — A federal jury in Fresno has awarded $30.5 million to the family of a man fatally shot by a Kern County sheriff’s deputy after a traffic stop in Mojave — marking what’s believed to be the second largest jury verdict for a police shooting in California, attorneys said.

The jury on Wednesday found Deputy Jason Ayala “used excessive and unreasonable force and was negligent” in the October 2020 shooting that killed Mickel Lewis Sr., according to a release from the Woodland Hills-based Law Offices of Dale K. Galipo, which represented 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.,” Galipo said in the release.

Co-counsel J. Bernard Alexander added, “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 amount awarded breaks down as follows: $5 million for Lewis’ death; $1 million for his “pre-death pain and suffering”; and $24.5 million in wrongful death damages to his children.

Sheriff’s officials have said Ayala knew Lewis was on probation and possibly in possession of a gun when he stopped him Oct. 2 after Lewis left a Wienerschnitzel in Mojave.

Lewis initially cooperated, but soon ran from the deputy before heading back toward his vehicle. He then charged the deputy with his hand in his waistband and Ayala fired, officials said.

A gun was not found on or near Lewis.

A handgun was recovered behind a utility pole in a location where one of the passengers of Lewis’ vehicle was seen after the shooting, officials said.

Lewis had convictions for resisting an officer, spousal battery and failure to register as a sex offender on a lengthy criminal record that spanned at least 22 cases in California. He was on probation and had multiple pending cases at the time of his death.

Jury awards $30.5M to family of man killed by Kern County deputy: attorneys | KGET 17 News