A federal judge in Alabama dismissed a civil lawsuit brought by the family of Jawan Dallas, who died in Mobile in 2023 after police used a Taser multiple times during an attempt to detain him, according to a court ruling unsealed as part of the case. U.S. District Judge Kristi K. DuBose dismissed the wrongful death and excessive force claims filed against the City of Mobile and two Mobile police officers, the Associated Press reported.
At the end of the case, the judge ordered body-camera footage to be unsealed, footage that had not been previously released to the public, court records show. The footage was tied to Dallas’s death and to disputes about what officers did during the encounter.
DuBose’s ruling cited findings from a medical examiner, which she said determined Dallas primarily died from “acute myocardial ischemia and cardiorespiratory failure caused by mixed drug toxicity,” including toxicity from the presence of methamphetamine. The judge also wrote that Dallas died from a heart attack about twenty minutes after he was handcuffed, and she concluded that the use of force against him was objectively reasonable.
Court filings described the incident in which officers approached Dallas after responding to a report of a possible burglary and trespassing at a trailer park. The ruling said Dallas was in his vehicle when an officer demanded that he get out and produce identification; Dallas appeared on the audio to tell the officer, “That’s illegal,” before he was pulled from the car and a scuffle followed.
Body-camera audio captured Dallas saying, “Please, please, I can’t breathe,” according to the reporting described in the ruling summary. The court also described medical findings, including abrasions and puncture wounds on Dallas’s body that the ruling said were consistent with Taser-related injuries, while lawyers for the family disputed the interpretation of the evidence.
DuBose wrote that a medical examiner found three abrasions consistent with dry stun injuries and six punctures on Dallas’s back, including four that were consistent with “deeper” Taser probe injuries. The ruling also addressed arguments from the officers and the city that Dallas resisted arrest.
Dallas family lawyers said they plan to appeal the dismissal, arguing that the video evidence was striking. In a statement, they said the recording shows Dallas enduring a taser/drive stun for about 44 seconds, which they said was longer than recommended, and they said he died even though he was not the person accused of trespassing.
The lawsuit dismissal followed protests in Mobile after Dallas died on July 2, 2023, according to the AP report.