Use of Force and Taser Policy

A federal judge in Mobile, Alabama, has dismissed a wrongful-death and excessive-force lawsuit filed by the family of 36-year-old Jawan Dallas, who died on July 2, 2023 after Mobile police repeatedly shocked him with a Taser while responding to a reported burglary and trespassing at a trailer park. U.S. District Court Judge Kristi K. DuBose ruled that officers’ use of force was objectively reasonable and cited a medical examiner’s finding that Dallas primarily died from acute myocardial ischemia and cardiorespiratory failure caused by mixed drug toxicity, including methamphetamine, roughly 20 minutes after he was handcuffed. The ruling also unsealed previously unreleased body-camera footage showing Dallas being pulled from his car, a struggle on the ground as he says "Please, please, I can't breathe," and what the family’s lawyers say was about 44 seconds of Taser and drive-stun use, longer than recommended guidelines. Attorneys for the city and officers argued Dallas was resisting arrest, while an expert for the family said his movements reflected a reaction to the burning pain of the Taser rather than active resistance. The family’s lawyers called the decision wrong and vowed to appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, ensuring the case—and the broader questions it raises about Taser use, in-custody deaths, and how courts weigh medical causation—will remain in the legal spotlight.