Congratulations to DP&S attorney, Shelby White, who–along with Thad Spalding, and trial attorney, Daryl Washington–successfully reversed a summary judgment order granting qualified immunity to a police officer. The case involved the fatal shooting of Tavis Crane by Arlington police officer Craig Roper after Crane was stopped when his toddler threw a candy wrapper out of the car window. The trial court granted summary judgment to Officer Roper on the basis of qualified immunity, finding that case law precedent built qualified immunity “into a nearly insurmountable obstacle.” On appeal, the Fifth Circuit found that there were fact issues that needed to be decided by a jury as to whether Roper acted used reasonable force, considering–among many other facts–the speed that Roper resorted to using deadly force. As such, the Court reversed summary judgment and remanded the claims against Officer Roper and the City of Arlington to the district court for trial. You can read the opinion here, and a Dallas Morning News article about the case here.
