A bad cop in Texas is trying to use qualified immunity (QI.) This time the victim of excessive force was Neco Bonham, a 20-year-old Black man. Neco is suing Richardson, Texas, police officers in federal court for racial profiling and excessive force, The Dallas Morning News reports.
The incident took place in 2018, when Bonham was 18. At first, the situation seemed like a routine traffic stop. But, when Bonham asked Officer Parker Winn why he wanted him out of the car, things turned ugly. Instead of answering Bonham, Winn tased the young man. He then punched Bonham in the head and handcuffed him with the help of another cop.
In his suit, Bonham claims Winn “contrived a bogus reason to stop him.” The real reason, he says, was because he was a “young Black man with a hoodie.” Bonham has no criminal history.
“Lawyers for the city and the officers could not be reached for comment,” the article states. “But in court filings they invoked the controversial qualified immunity defense, a legal doctrine that shields government employees and officials from liability for constitutional violations as long as they didn’t run afoul of ‘clearly established’ law.”
CTEQI will continue to follow this story of a bad Texas cop invoking QI to dodge accountability.
Read the entire article here.