Sacramento County has paid $500,000 to the family of Sherrano Stingley, an unarmed Black man who died after sheriff’s deputies held him face down during an early-morning detention in south Sacramento. The March payout resolves a 2023 federal wrongful-death lawsuit brought by Stingley’s mother and children. Stingley, 48, was taken into custody on Dec. 6, 2022, fell unconscious during the struggle and died at the hospital on Dec. 16, 2022.
As reported by the Sacramento Bee, the settlement ended a suit that accused deputies of using excessive force while restraining Stingley in a south Sacramento driveway. Body-worn camera video released by the Sheriff’s Office appears to show deputies kneeling on or straddling him as they tried to handcuff him, and one deputy striking Stingley in the back of the head. Paramedics later took him to Kaiser Permanente South Sacramento Medical Center, where he never regained consciousness.
DA Review: No Criminal Charges
According to a report by the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office, an independent review released in December 2024 found no credible evidence of criminal misconduct by deputies and declined to bring charges. The letter states that prosecutors reviewed body-worn video, witness statements, toxicology results and the coroner’s autopsy, and concluded deputies had probable cause to detain Stingley and did not act with criminal negligence. “We find no credible evidence to support an allegation of criminal negligence or excessive force,” the report said.
Lawsuit, Court Approval and Payment Questions
The family filed a federal lawsuit in 2023 naming Sacramento County, the Sheriff’s Office, former Sheriff Scott Jones and several deputies. The parties later told the court they had reached a settlement. The federal docket shows Chief U.S. District Judge Troy Nunley approved a minor’s compromise of $187,500 for Stingley’s son in March, directing that the money be paid into a structured annuity.
Entries summarized by Justia Dockets & Filings reflect the timing of the settlement approvals. Reporting by Courthouse News Service describes a dispute over payment and delays in the estate receiving one of the settlement checks before final dispositional paperwork was filed.
Community Reaction and Open-Records Questions
Local advocates say the payout is a long way from justice. “These are the same patterns we’ve seen over the years for how the Sheriff’s Office responds when people are Black and in a mental health crisis,” Tanya Faison, founder of Black Lives Matter Sacramento, told the Sacramento Bee. The Bee also reported that the Sheriff’s Office has so far failed to release records tied to the incident and that a county spokeswoman declined to say whether deputies were disciplined.
Civil Settlement, Criminal Review: What It Means
Civil settlements resolve private claims without any finding of criminal guilt and often include structured payments for minors, while criminal reviews apply a higher standard of proof. The DA’s declination decision and the county’s payout close the federal case, but activists are still calling for discipline and broader policy changes in how deputies respond when people are in mental-health crisis. Those debates over training, transparency and crisis response are likely to continue in Sacramento as advocates push for reforms.
The settlement ends the family’s federal lawsuit yet leaves outstanding questions for county policymakers and the Sheriff’s Office. Plaintiffs’ attorneys and county officials did not immediately provide additional comment beyond court filings and public statements.
