Lethal Force Used on 911 Caller Who Brandished Knife: Father’s Suit Fails
Author: Fred Cohen.
Source: Volume 22, Number 02, July/August 2020 , pp.25-25(1)
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Abstract:
In King v. Hendricks Co. Comm’ers, 954 F.3d 981 (7th Cir. 2020), a knife from the decedent’s kitchen was found alongside his dead body outside the home. The knife had no fingerprints and was on the left side of Bradley King, age 29, who was right-handed. Bradley had called 911 for help and two reserve junior deputies responded. They said Bradley charged them with this 10” kitchen knife at the ready. They backed up, demanded he stop, and Deputy Hays fired the fatal shot when Bradley seemed to be advancing. Bradley’s father, Matthew King, disputes the officers’ account. He asserts that Bradley was never violent, even when suffering a psychotic episode, and would not have charged at the police with a knife.Keywords: King v. Hendricks Co. Comm’ersl; perceived danger; “drop knife”
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