$13.1 Million Awarded to Family of Man Who Stabbed a Calif. Deputy, Then Was Fatally Shot by Authorities

A federal jury has awarded $13.1 million to the parents of a mentally ill California man who was shot and killed by a sheriff’s deputy after a violent confrontation in 2020.

Jurors delivered the verdict over the August 2020 shooting death of Jeffrey Alexander Monroy, 33, who was fatally shot in Rancho Mirage by Riverside County Sheriff’s Deputy Cpl. Ruben Perez, according to KTLA, The Orange County Register and KESQ.

Monroy had been working with his father’s pool service company when he became agitated and left the job site. He then walked through the 70800 block of Tamarisk Lane, approaching residents to ask if he could borrow a phone to call his brother for a ride home, KTLA and the Register reported.

A resident called 911 to report a “suspicious person” wearing a black bandana and dark clothing. Perez responded and arrived around the same time as Monroy’s brother, Will Monroy, per KTLA and the Register.

Perez tried to question Monroy, who did not want to respond, the outlets reported. When the deputy attempted to detain him, a struggle broke out. During the altercation, Monroy pulled out a screwdriver and stabbed Perez multiple times — including in the head and neck — according to the reports.

Will Monroy then intervened, physically separating his brother from the deputy and pulling Jeffrey Monroy about 20 feet away from the confrontation, KTLA and the Register said.

As Monroy ran, Perez opened fire, striking him five times — three shots to the back and two to the side — according to KTLA and the Register, citing the family’s attorneys. Monroy died at the scene, the outlets reported. Perez was taken to a hospital and later recovered.

Attorneys for the family argued that Monroy was in the middle of a mental health crisis and no longer posed an immediate threat when the shots were fired, according to KTLA and the Register.

“It should have been apparent to Perez that Monroy was suffering a mental health crisis,” plaintiffs’ attorneys said, adding that Monroy had been treated at a mental health clinic the night before the shooting, per KTLA and the Register.

Jurors attributed 70% of the fault to Perez and 30% to Monroy, KTLA and the Register reported. They awarded $9 million in wrongful death damages, $4 million for loss of life and $100,000 for pre-death pain and suffering — bringing the total to $13.1 million, according to the outlets.

“There is no excuse for shooting Mr. Monroy multiple times in the back when he was no threat at all to the deputy,” plaintiffs’ attorney Houman Sayaghi said in a statement cited by KTLA and the Register.

Sheriff Chad Bianco and Perez were both named in the civil lawsuit, though the county served as the primary defendant, according to KTLA and the Register.