NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A federal appeals court has rebuked Memphis police for sending a tactical team to serve a misdemeanor warrant on a 67-year-old animal hoarder who was later killed by an officer, but the court upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit against the city.
The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Donald Moore Sr.'s January 2013 shooting was constitutional because the officer had reason to fear for his life. But the court said the decision to use the tactical team to break into Moore's home jeopardized the lives of all involved.
In their civil rights lawsuit against the city, Moore's adult children said the department should have sent a specialized team that defuses mental health calls instead of the tactical unit.
An email to Memphis city officials was not immediately returned.
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