The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Tuesday approved a $6.5 million settlement of a federal lawsuit stemming from the fatal shooting of a sword-wielding Palmdale man who had allegedly assaulted his wife and waved the weapon at responding deputies, one of whom opened fire.
Everett Byram, 34, was fatally shot in the backyard of his home on Feb. 10, 2023, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and county documents.
Deputies responded to the home in the 37000 block of Oxford Drive in response to a domestic violence call from a woman who said her husband had assaulted her — including putting her in a headlock and punching her, according to a county case summary.
The woman told a dispatcher her husband was intoxicated but not armed, and the dispatcher subsequently informed responding deputies that the man was taking psychiatric medication and could be heard saying “suicide by cop.”
Deputies found him in the backyard of the home wielding a sword, which he allegedly raised while advancing toward the deputies and yelling at them to shoot him. Deputies repeatedly shouted for him to drop the sword, but he failed to comply. As he moved forward, one deputy ultimately opened fire, hitting Byram in the head, while another fired a less-than-lethal round that struck him in the chest, according to the case summary.
Byram was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office reviewed the circumstances of the shooting and concluded in 2024 that no criminal charges were warranted in connection with the shooting, saying the deputy who opened fire “acted lawfully in self-defense and defense of others.”
Byram’s wife, Ursula Byram, sued the county and sheriff’s department over the shooting, alleging wrongful death, excessive force and other causes of action. She and her husband had twin children who were roughly 15 months old at the time of the shooting, according to a DA’s Office report.
Ursula Byram told investigators after the shooting that her husband had attempted suicide on multiple occasions with pills and alcohol, and that he had undergone treatment for depression, for which he was prescribed various medications. She said in the days prior to the shooting he had repeatedly cut himself, sometimes in front of their children, while talking frequently about killing himself.
On the day of the shooting, after she had been assaulted by her husband, Ursula Byram called 911 and asked responding deputies to have her husband “committed” due to his mental health issues, according to the DA report.
County attorneys recommended that the county settle the case “given the risks and uncertainties of litigation.”