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Supreme Court questions standards for use of deadly force by police in Texas case

11 12
22.01.2025

A routine traffic stop in Texas turned deadly within seconds when a police officer shot and killed 24-year-old Ashtian Barnes in 2016.

The Supreme Court weighed Monday whether courts should examine everything that happened during the traffic stop or just the split-seconds when the officer feared for his safety in deciding whether the officer can be tried for unreasonable force.

While driving his girlfriend’s rental car, which had outstanding toll violations, Barnes was stopped by Officer Roberto Felix Jr. and asked to present his license and insurance. Barnes suggested the paperwork may be in his truck and was instructed to get out of the vehicle.

Then, the car started moving forward. Felix jumped onto the vehicle’s door sill and began shooting inside, striking Barnes twice. He bled to death.

The justices were asked to consider how much time should be taken into consideration when police kill people, known as the “moment of the threat” doctrine. They seemed inclined to issue a narrow ruling in favor of Barnes’s mother and estate, punting the case to the lower courts for further litigation, but mixed of their broader argument.

“What's an officer supposed........

© The Hill