Nathanael Pickett had recently moved into the El Rancho Motel in Barstow when he was approached by a San Bernardino County deputy who suspected him of trespassing.
A confrontation between the two escalated and Pickett, 29, was fatally shot. On Wednesday, a federal jury awarded Pickett’s parents $33.5 million in damages, finding that the deputy had detained their son unreasonably, delayed medical aid and was negligent when he used deadly force, according to federal court records.
The jury deliberated about two hours in the civil case, weighing conflicting versions of the November 2015 encounter, before returning the verdict. The sum, which experts say is among the largest in police shooting cases, includes $15.5 million in compensatory damages and $18 million in punitive damages.
The county “tried to sell a story to the jury about how the incident happened that the jury realized, through the presentation of evidence, was not true,” said Dale K. Galipo, an attorney representing Pickett’s parents. The large award, he said, is “a signal that members of our community are no longer willing to tolerate these unjustified police shootings.”
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