Officer Who Shot Child While Aiming for Dog Immune From Suit

A Georgia police officer who shot a child while aiming for a family dog is immune from claims that he violated the Fourth Amendment, the Eleventh Circuit said.

The police officer was immune from excessive force claims because he didn’t shoot the child intentionally, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit said July 10 in a 2-1 ruling.

Michael Vickers was a deputy sheriff in Coffee County, Ga. Vickers was involved in an operation to apprehend a suspect that spilled onto Amy Corbitt’s yard. Vickers and other officers ordered the people in Corbitt’s yard, including Corbitt’s son and ...