Alabama judge dismisses lawsuit over a 2023 Taser death as bodycam video is unsealed

MOBILE, Ala. (AP) — A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by the family of an Alabama man who died after police shocked him with a Taser multiple times in 2023.

U.S. District Court Judge Kristi K. DuBose on Tuesday dismissed a wrongful death and excessive force lawsuit filed against the city of Mobile and two police officers. At the conclusion of the case, the federal court unsealed the body camera footage, which had not been previously released to the public.

Jawan Dallas, 36, died on July 2, 2023, after he was shocked while police were trying to detain him. His death prompted protests in Mobile.

Dubose wrote that a medical examiner found that Dallas primarily died from “acute myocardial ischemia and cardiorespiratory failure caused by mixed drug toxicity – including toxicity from the presence of methamphetamine.”

“Unfortunately, Mr. Dallas died from a heart attack approximately twenty minutes after he was handcuffed,” DuBose wrote. She wrote that the use of force against Dallas was objectively reasonable.

Lawyers for his family disagreed with the decision and said they plan to appeal to the U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals.

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“The video evidence is striking. Jawan Dallas endured a taser/drive stun for about 44 seconds, which is longer than the recommended time, and tragically lost his life though he was not the person accused of trespassing,” lawyers for the Dallas family said in a statement.

The medical examiner found three abrasions on Dallas that were consistent with dry stun injuries and six punctures on Mr. Dallas’s back, four of which were consistent with “deeper” Taser probe injuries, according to the Tuesday ruling.

Officers approached Dallas after responding to a report of a possible burglary and trespassing at a trailer park. Dallas was in his vehicle. An officer demanded Dallas get out of the car and produce his identification. Dallas appears to tell the officer, “That’s illegal.” He is then pulled from the car and a scuffle ensues.

“Please, please, I can’t breathe,” Dallas is heard saying on audio from the body camera footage.

Lawyers for the officers and the city had argued that Dallas resisted arrest. An expert hired by the Dallas family said he was not resisting but reacting to the burning pain from the Taser.