Parents Win $13.1M in Deputy Shooting Case

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 as he fled after stabbing the officer during a confrontation in 2020.

Jurors reached the verdict in connection with the August 2020 shooting death of Jeffrey Alexander Monroy, 33, who was fatally shot in the back by Riverside County Sheriff’s Deputy Cpl. Ruben Perez in Rancho Mirage, per reporting by 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, walking through the 70800 block of Tamarisk Lane while asking residents if he could borrow a phone to call his brother for a ride home, according to KTLA and the Register.

A resident called 911 to report a “suspicious person” wearing a black bandana and dark clothing, and Perez arrived at the scene around the same time as Monroy’s brother, Will Monroy, the two outlets reported.

Perez attempted to question Monroy, who did not want to answer, and a struggle began when the deputy tried to detain him, according to KTLA and the Register. During the altercation, Monroy pulled out a screwdriver and stabbed Perez multiple times, including in the head and neck, per the outlets.

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 reported.

Perez then opened fire as Monroy ran away, striking him five times — three times in the back and twice in the side — according to KTLA and the Register, citing attorneys for the family. Monroy died at the scene, per the outlets, and Perez was taken to a hospital where he later recovered.

Attorneys for the family said Monroy was experiencing a mental health crisis and no longer posed an imminent threat when Perez 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, according to KTLA and the Register.

Jurors assigned 70% of the fault for the shooting 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 — totaling $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 Orange County 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.