Once Again SCOTUS Protects Police Use of Deadly Force

The U.S. Supreme Court started off the week by granting legal immunity to Texas police officer Chadrin Lee Mullenix, who shot and killed 24-year-old Israel Leija Jr. during a car chase.

Leija was first approached by a Tulia, Texas, police officer on March 23, 2010, looking to serve a misdemeanor probation arrest warrant. When Leija sped off, he was pursued by police onto a highway, accelerating to triple-digit miles per hour, during which he called the dispatcher and threatened to shoot any cop he encountered. State troopers threw spikes on the road to stop Leija’s car, but Mullenix decided to stop him with his rifle. Mullenix claimed he was aiming for Leija’s car engine, but at least four of his rifle shots ended up in Leija’s body and were determined to be the cause of his death.