Cop Who Left Before Landlord Murdered Tenants Avoids Liability

A Maine police officer is entitled to qualified immunity from claims that he escalated a dispute between a landlord and his tenants, resulting in the landlord shooting the tenants and a friend, the First Circuit said.

The two deceased victims’ estates and tenant Susan Johnson sued Officer Edward Dexter of the Biddeford Police Department and the department for violating their due process rights. The district court ultimately ruled that qualified immunity protected Dexter, and the US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit affirmed on Tuesday.

Dexter isn’t liable for the 2012 shooting under the state-created-danger doctrine, the opinion by ...