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Supreme Court likely to favor police sued over fatal pursuit

The lawsuit says police used excessive force. But several justices said the officers should be shielded from liability

Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court appears likely to rule for police officers in Arkansas who were involved in a car chase that ended with the deaths of the driver and his passenger.

No one on the court in arguments Tuesday seemed inclined to affirm an appeals court ruling allowing a civil lawsuit by the driver’s daughter to proceed against six West Memphis, Ark., police officers. They fatally shot driver Donald Rickard and passenger Kelly Allen in a chaotic scene on a Memphis street following a chase that began across the Mississippi River in Arkansas.

The lawsuit says police used excessive force. But several justices said the officers should be shielded from liability.

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