Qualified Immunity Protects Cop Who Killed Innocent Black Man Breaking Up Fight

The Killing of Jimmie Sanders

• 💔 In 2017, Jimmie Sanders, a 33-year-old Black man, was fatally shot by Appleton Police Lt. Jay Steinke while attempting to break up a bar fight.
• 🚨 Steinke, on foot patrol outside the bar, drew his weapon, entered, and fired four shots, one of which struck Sanders in the back.
• ⚖️ Sanders' mother filed a wrongful death lawsuit, alleging a violation of her son's Fourth Amendment rights.

Qualified Immunity Ruling

• 🚫 A federal judge dismissed the lawsuit, granting Steinke qualified immunity.
• 📜 The ruling stated that the plaintiff failed to establish that shooting into a crowded place without identifying himself or issuing a warning violates a clearly established constitutional right.
• ❓ This decision raises questions about the nature of law when legal standards can be so easily circumvented.

Conflicting Accounts and Evidence

• 🔫 There are conflicting accounts regarding the gun: one claims Sanders took it from the assailant, causing it to discharge, while another states the assailant pointed it at the officer.
• 📹 Attorneys for Steinke claim video evidence shows the assailant approaching the officer, but the judge described the video as blurry and unclear.
• 🏃‍♂️ Steinke's defense also suggested patrons fleeing the scene pushed him, causing him to miss his intended target (Leander Moffett) and hit Sanders.

Legal and Societal Implications

• 🎯 Steinke's lawyers argued that Sanders' Fourth Amendment rights were not implicated because he was not the intended target of the use of force.
• ⛓️ Leander Moffett, the individual involved in the initial fight, was later convicted of Sanders' murder and received a 16.5-year sentence.
• 😔 The discussion highlights a tragic outcome where an innocent bystander is killed, and the officer involved is shielded from liability, leading to a sense of injustice.

Advice and Broader Concerns

• ⚠️ The hosts express dismay that the advice given to Black children may now include not intervening in dangerous situations to avoid becoming a target.
• 🇺🇸 The conversation touches on the prevalence of guns in America and the broader implications for public safety and law enforcement.