SCOTUS is reviewing a case involving the 2016 fatal shooting of Ashtian Barnes, an unarmed Black man killed during a traffic stop in Texas
Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States seemed inclined to allow excessive-force claims against police in a case involving the 2016 fatal shooting of Ashtian Barnes, an unarmed Black man who was killed during a traffic stop in Texas.
Officer Roberto Felix Jr. shot Barnes as he attempted to drive away by stepping onto the car’s door sill. Barne’s mother, Janice Hughes, filed a civil rights lawsuit claiming the police officer used excessive force in violation of the Constitution’s Fourth Amendment.
SCOTUS justices, including Elena Kagan and Neil Gorsuch, suggested lower courts should consider broader circumstances and not just split-second decisions leading up to the shooting.
A ruling in favor of Barnes’s mother could set a precedent for broader reviews of police actions but won’t guarantee a win due to the controversial “qualified immunity” legal doctrine, which often shields officers from liability.
A decision in the case is expected by June.