Shaw v. City of Selma

The Eleventh Circuit affirmed the district court's grant of summary judgment for defendants in an action brought by the estate of Ananias Shaw, who was shot and killed by a police officer. Shaw was coming towards the officer with a hatchet when the officer shot him. The court held that a reasonable officer could have concluded, as the officer here did, that the law did not require him to wait until the hatchet was being swung toward him before firing in self-defense. Therefore, the district court did not err in granting summary judgment as to the excessive force claim. Furthermore, the district court did not err in granting summary judgment as to the false arrest claim and the officer was entitled to state agent immunity on all of the state law claims. View "Shaw v. City of Selma" on Justia Law