A federal court jury has awarded $13.1 million to the parents of a mentally ill man who was fatally shot in the back after stabbing a Riverside County sheriff’s deputy with a screwdriver. The award is believed to be the largest excessive force verdict in county history. Although Jeffrey Monroy sta bbed Cpl. Ruben Perez in the head and neck, jurors decided that the deputy was not in imminent danger when he shot Monroy, who was 20 feet away. “The jury decided you just can’t shoot somebody while they’re fleeing,” said attorney Houman Sayaghi, representing David and Longina Monroy.  “He did not pose a threat of imminent harm.” The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department did not respond to an emailed request for comment. According to the lawsuit, filed in 2021, Jeffrey Monroy worked with his father’s pool service and was helping repair a pool in Rancho Mirage in August 2020. Monroy, who had a history of mental illness, became “impatient” and wanted to leave. He began walking in the 70800 block of Tamarisk Lane, asking people if he could borrow their phones to call his brother for a ride home. The 33-year-old Cathedral City man was given a phone and made the call. A resident in the affluent neighborhood, however, telephoned police to report a suspicious person dressed in a black bandanna and black clothing. Monroy’s brother, Wilbur, and the deputy arrived about the same time, the suit said. The deputy approached Jeffrey Monroy and they began scuffling. Monroy repeatedly stabbed the deputy, who survived his wounds. Related Articles Suspect killed by deputy gunfire in Moreno Valley Armed robbery suspect killed by police outside San Bernardino liquor store Ontario man pleads not guilty to assaulting federal immigration officer San Bernardino County Sheriff’s detective honored for ‘heroic’ freeway takedown of suspect in killing of deputy All 5 Freeway lanes reopened after police standoff, shooting shut both sides near Camp Pendleton for hours Sayaghi said Monroy’s brother pulled him off the deputy and Monroy began to flee, but he didn’t make it far. He was shot without warning three times in the back and twice on his side. The attorney said there was no evidence that Monroy would have been a danger to anyone else. “It should have been apparent to Perez that Monroy was suffering a mental health crisis,” said a prepared statement from the family’s lawyers. Monroy had been treated the previous night at a mental health clinic, Sayaghi said. The jury assigned 70% of the fault for the shooting to Perez and 30% to Monroy. Jurors awarded $4 million for loss of life, $100,000 for pre-death pain and suffering, and $9 million in wrongful death damages to Monroy’s parents. ...read more read less