A man who was shot in the back by a police officer and left paralysed has been awarded $11.3 million by a federal jury in California. (Represenational Image)
SAN FRANCISCO:
A man who was shot in the back by a police officer and left paralysed has been awarded $11.3 million by a federal jury in California.
Hung Lam, a Vietnamese national, filed a civil rights lawsuit against the city of San Jose, its police chief and the officer who shot him on January 3, 2014. The jury decided the award on Monday after a three-week trial.
The award is nearly double the $5.9 million settlement for the family of Eric Garner, whose death after a police chokehold in July 2014 triggered outrage around the United States. Tension over the use of excessive force by police has since been driven by several high-profile cases involving the deaths of black men.
Lam's attorney John Burris said in a statement on Tuesday, "The officer's outrageous display of excessive force sentenced Hung Lam to a lifetime in a wheelchair."
San Jose City Attorney Rick Doyle said the city was exploring its options regarding appeal and would discuss it with the City Council.
Lam had argued in court that although he had a knife in his hand, was suicidal and threatening to hurt himself, he never threatened anyone else.
He said that when San Jose Officer Dondi West arrived at Lam's home, she screamed orders and rushed towards Lam, escalating the situation, then inexplicably opening fire. The wounds to Lam's lower back left him paraplegic, he said.
Lam contended that he was also "unconscionably, maliciously" charged with assaulting an officer over the incident. The charge was later dropped.
Attorney Burris, who is also representing the family of a black man who was shot dead by several police officers after being suspected of a stabbing, is due to hold a news conference later on Tuesday about the decision in Lam's case.
Hung Lam, a Vietnamese national, filed a civil rights lawsuit against the city of San Jose, its police chief and the officer who shot him on January 3, 2014. The jury decided the award on Monday after a three-week trial.
The award is nearly double the $5.9 million settlement for the family of Eric Garner, whose death after a police chokehold in July 2014 triggered outrage around the United States. Tension over the use of excessive force by police has since been driven by several high-profile cases involving the deaths of black men.
Lam's attorney John Burris said in a statement on Tuesday, "The officer's outrageous display of excessive force sentenced Hung Lam to a lifetime in a wheelchair."
San Jose City Attorney Rick Doyle said the city was exploring its options regarding appeal and would discuss it with the City Council.
Lam had argued in court that although he had a knife in his hand, was suicidal and threatening to hurt himself, he never threatened anyone else.
He said that when San Jose Officer Dondi West arrived at Lam's home, she screamed orders and rushed towards Lam, escalating the situation, then inexplicably opening fire. The wounds to Lam's lower back left him paraplegic, he said.
Lam contended that he was also "unconscionably, maliciously" charged with assaulting an officer over the incident. The charge was later dropped.
Attorney Burris, who is also representing the family of a black man who was shot dead by several police officers after being suspected of a stabbing, is due to hold a news conference later on Tuesday about the decision in Lam's case.
© Thomson Reuters 2015
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