Colorado sheriff honors deputy after he killed man who mistakenly got in wrong car

Richard Ward, 32, was shot thrice at close range by Charles McWhorter, who received a purple heart award

A Colorado sheriff's office has given one of its deputies a medal after he fatally shot a man who mistakenly tried to get into the wrong car while picking his brother up from a local middle school.

Charles McWhorter earned the Pueblo county sheriff's office's purple heart award for purportedly enduring injuries to his nose, forefinger, back, knee and neck as he shot Richard Ward three times at close range and killed him on 22 February 2022. McWhorter received the purple heart medal during a sheriff's office award ceremony on 17 February, four days before Ward's family filed a wrongful death lawsuit in federal court against him and his agency.