Jail Officers Immune From Suit Over Death of Restrained Detainee

St. Louis police officers who restrained a detainee in a prone position and put pressure on his back after he became violent are entitled to qualified immunity from his parents’ claim that they used excessive force in violation of the Fourth Amendment, the Eighth Circuit said.

The US Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit originally said that the officers were immune from the suit because they didn’t apply unconstitutionally excessive force. But the US Supreme Court ordered it to reconsider that decision, with instructions to look at the facts anew or decide whether Gilbert’s “right to be free of ...