Axeel Melendez swatting: Nancy Guthrie case sheriff faces $176M claim as man alleges deputies shot, paralyzed him

Axeel Melendez, 24, is suing the Pima County Sheriff's Department and Sheriff Chris Nanos for $176 million after deputies shot and paralyzed him during a fake swatting call.

The April 10 call to 311 falsely claimed Melendez's father shot his sister, leading deputies to break in and fire seven shots through a door, hitting Melendez.

Melendez had previously reported threats from a hacker who demanded money for gaming accounts and threatened to report him to ICE, but an operator dismissed his concerns.

Despite the call being flagged as fake, a deputy treated it 'like it's real until it's not real,' and Melendez was handcuffed while bleeding after the shooting.

This is the second major lawsuit against the sheriff's department in two weeks, adding to scrutiny of Sheriff Nanos, who is also investigating the Nancy Guthrie disappearance.