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Lawsuit in police shooting is revivedBy WILLIAM R. LEVESQUE
© St. Petersburg Times, A federal appeals court has partly revived a wrongful death lawsuit brought by the mother of TyRon Lewis, the man whose fatal shooting in 1996 by a St. Petersburg police officer sparked violent racial disturbances. The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Monday that a federal judge in Tampa improperly dismissed for lack of evidence a portion of the lawsuit alleging the city of St. Petersburg should be held liable for the negligent use of a firearm by an officer. At the same time, the court refused to reinstate another portion of the same lawsuit that alleged that the city improperly trained its officers about the proper use of force. Lewis, 18, was killed Oct. 24, 1996, when St. Petersburg police Officer James Knight fired through the windshield of Lewis' car. Knight said Lewis was trying to run him over despite an order to stop. Lewis' mother, Pamela Lewis, has filed three lawsuits seeking unspecified damages against the city since her son's death. The appeals court decision this week suggested that a federal judge consider returning the remaining claim in the federal suit to state court, where a separate lawsuit also is pending.
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From the Times South Pinellas desks |
