Mother Of Man Shot 18 Times By OC Deputy To Receive $1M Payout

ORANGE COUNTY, CA -- The mother of a man who was fatally shot by an Orange County sheriff's deputy will receive a $1.1 million payout from the county to settle allegations that the deputy who pulled the trigger acted improperly when he stomped on the man's head.

The County Board of Supervisors approved the settlement on Tuesday, according to Dan Stormer, the Pasadena-based attorney for the deceased man's mother.

The shooting occurred in Laguna Niguel in September 2013 after deputies responded to a condo complex regarding a call that a man had cut his roommate and his mother with a 12-inch knife.

The man, Connor Zion, 21, had a history of mental illness. He charged deputies with the knife, stabbing one in the arm twice. The other deputy, identified as Michael Higgins, shot Zion nine times as Zion fled, as seen on a dashboard camera. After Zion falls to the ground, Higgins then fires another rounds before stomping on Zion's head three times, also captured on camera.

Higgins claimed at the time that he fired the second set of shots because he was worried that Zion was faking unconsciousness.

In January, a federal jury ruled that Higgins had used excessive force after the initial nine shots were fired and awarded Zion's mother, Kimberly Zion, $360,000 in damages. Stormer, howver, argued for a higher payout.

This week, the Board of Supervisors reached the $1.1 million settlement agreement.

"This puts to rest a very, very difficult period in [Kimberly Zion's] life," Stormer said. "No amount of money can compensate for the loss of Connor, but it does show a recognition on the part of the county of its obligation. These deputies, in my opinion, were completely out of control."