Judge: Officer used unreasonable force in unarmed man death

Source: ABC News

Judge: Officer Used Unreasonable Force in Unarmed Man Death

By claire galofaro

·LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Feb 26, 2016, 4:50 PM ET

A federal judge has found that a Kentucky police officer used unreasonable force when he shot an unarmed, intoxicated man with cognitive disabilities as he staggered along a railroad track, refusing to take his hand out of his pants and disobeying officers' orders.

U.S. District Court Judge Joseph H. McKinley's ruling came in a civil case filed by the man's family against the city of Bowling Green and several officers involved. His finding that Officer Keith Casada's decision to shoot 46-year-old Gregory Harrison was "objectively unreasonable" means the lawsuit can move forward toward trial.

An attorney for Harrison's family hailed the ruling as a symbol that judges and juries, for decades hesitant to blame officers for killing civilians, are no longer willing to ignore brutality after a string of high-profile cases across the country. The city's attorney criticized it as "a 20/20 hindsight" decision that failed to factor in the split-second decisions officers often must make. Both the officer and the man killed were white.

The ordeal began after 1 a.m. August 12, 2012, when 46-year-old Gregory Harrison called police several times to say he wanted to kill his brother, had a gun and needed help, according to police logs entered into the court record.




Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/judge-officer-unreasonable-force-unarmed-man-death-37232353