A man who was shot in the face by a Riverside County sheriff’s deputy was awarded $7.8 million by a unanimous federal jury Wednesday.
William Howard was wanted on a felony warrant when deputies located him hiding in a storage shed in Cathedral City in 2011.
He was shot once in the face by Deputy Armando Munoz, who said Howard lunged at him and was quickly lifting his left hand when the closet door was opened, leading him to fear for his life.
- Download: Download the NBCLA Mobile App
Howard was unarmed, said his hands were visible and said Munoz gave him no warning before shooting.
Howard spent 18 months in the hospital following the shooting. He is in a wheelchair and has partial paralysis on the left side of his body, according to a statement from his attorney.
Riverside County and Munoz were both named as defendants in the civil suit.
