Sheriff Chris Nanos and the Pima County, Arizona, sheriff’s department are facing a $176 million lawsuit after deputies shot and paralyzed a 24-year-old man, Axeel Melendez, while responding to a false "swatting" call. The incident, which left Melendez paralyzed from the neck down, occurred in April.
Melendez’s attorney stated that deputies fired seven shots through a door, hitting him in the leg and spine, despite Melendez warning the department he was being targeted for swatting and posed no threat. According to the legal notice, deputies smashed Melendez's bedroom window with a shovel and entered his home with guns drawn. Melendez had reportedly told his mother to hide and was holding a registered firearm when officers fired.
His lawyer, Dev Sethi, claimed Melendez had been threatened by an online hacker and had already contacted 911. However, the dispatcher allegedly assured him that a swatting call would not lead to a SWAT response. An incident report obtained by Melendez's lawyer indicated the sheriff’s department had previously determined a call to Melendez's address was fake and had assured him he would be warned of further calls.
This lawsuit is the second significant legal action against Nanos's department in as many weeks. Sheriff Nanos is also being sued for $3 million in connection with the investigation into the disappearance of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie. In that case, Carlos Palazuelos and two family members allege deputies arrested Palazuelos at gunpoint and raided his home without cause in February. Palazuelos is seeking $2.5 million, while relatives Daniel Maddox and Josefina Maddox are seeking $500,000 and $250,000 respectively, citing alleged property damage and unjust detention. Palazuelos also claims Nanos unfairly identified him as a "person of interest" to reporters.
The Pima County Sheriff’s department declined to comment on both pending lawsuits, stating they do not discuss ongoing litigation. Sethi described Melendez as "a shooting victim whose life will never be the same," facing extensive medical treatment and hospital bills.