Man with knife shot by California officer awarded $11.3 million

A federal jury has awarded $11.3 million to a man shot in the back by a Northern California police officer and left paralyzed.

The San Jose Mercury News reports Tuesday that jurors last week faulted San Jose Officer Dondi West for shooting Hung Lam during a confrontation.

The newspaper says Lam had a knife and acted erratically during a January 2014 standoff. A retired San Mateo County sheriff who lived next door and witnessed the shooting testified that Lam didn't pose a serious threat to police.

Attorney John Burris said in a statement that the shooting wasn't justified and "sentenced Hung Lam to a lifetime in a wheelchair, as a paraplegic."

An attorney for the city of San Jose couldn't immediately be reached for comment.