Sheriff Investigating Nancy Guthrie Disappearance Slapped With $176 Million Lawsuit In Another Case

A man who was left paralyzed after being shot by Pima County Sheriff’s deputies sued Sheriff Chris Nanos for $176 million.

Axeel Melendez, 24, sued Nanos and the Pima County, alleging the shooting was the result of dangerous incompetence during a phony swatting call, according to The New York Post. Melendez’ attorney, Dev Sethi, claimed Melendez cautioned the sheriff’s department that an online hacker threatened to call in a bogus bomb threat at his house but was told not to worry.

Less than 48 hours later, someone impersonating Melendez reportedly called the sheriff’s department saying his father shot his sister. The swatting call ended with deputies opening fire.

The legal filing alleges that officers fired seven shots, hitting Melendez in the leg and spine, leaving him paralyzed.

The filing claims that Melendez called 911 prior to the shooting to notify law enforcement of threats he had received.

The dispatcher told Melendez, “They can’t just call SWAT on you. That’s not how it works,” and assured him that “nothing’s going to happen,” Sethi said in a statement, according to The New York Post.

The sheriff’s department then received a suspicious call to Melendez’s house, which they determined to be fake. Officers notified Melendez and assured him that “he should be alright.” An incident report obtained by Sethi claimed authorities promised to warn him if they received any more calls to the address.

Despite that, the legal filing alleged that the sheriff’s department responded to the fake swatting call that came in less than two days later, and argued that Melendez posed no threat at the time of the shooting.

They claimed Melendez heard a commotion, woke his mother and told her to hide, then hid behind a door with a legally-registered firearm.

The filing also alleges that deputies smashed his bedroom window with a shovel and gained entry into his home with guns drawn, according to The New York Post.

“Axeel is a shooting victim whose life will never be the same … He’s not just looking at years of medical treatment and a mountain of hospital bills; his life has been shattered,” Sethi said. (RELATED: Sheriff’s Office Releases Nancy Guthrie Ransom Notes Claiming Her Death)

The attorney for Carlos Palazuelos, the man detained and released during the Nancy Guthrie investigation, is speaking out after filing a notice of claim against the Pima County Sheriff's Department. https://t.co/0B2oCk1LeL

This is not an isolated legal matter filed against Nanos and the Pima County Sheriff’s office.

Carlos Palazuelos and two family members plan to sue the Department for $3 million after deputies raided his home and arrested him in relation to the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie.

A notice of claim alleged that deputies drew guns on Palazuelos and detained him for seven to eight hours before releasing him without charges, according to The New York Post.