The family of a man shot to death by a Kern County sheriff’s deputy was awarded $30.5 million by a federal jury Wednesday in one of California’s largest police shooting payouts.
Unarmed Mickel Lewis Sr. died after being shot five times by Deputy Jason Ayala on Oct. 2, 2020. His family said that, after he was pulled over in an “unwarranted” stop, he was shot in the back and died in the street.
Lewis’ family filed a civil complaint against Ayala, Kern County and several unnamed defendants in the Eastern District of California. They claimed excessive force and unreasonable force, battery, negligence and a violation of the Civil Rights Act…