Underwood v. City of Bessemer, The et al

On September 28, 2018, in Bessemer, Alabama, 18-year-old O'Shea Underwood was fatally shot in the back by a police officer. Officers were investigating a nearby robbery and mistakenly identified Underwood, who was leaving a convenience store, as a suspect. Underwood fled, and an officer fired the fatal shots. Subsequent investigations determined that Underwood was carrying a legally owned firearm and had no involvement in the robbery. The Estate of O'Shea Underwood filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the City of Bessemer and its police department, alleging excessive force, wrongful death, and violations of the Fourth Amendment. The case drew attention as part of a broader national pattern of police shootings of Black men.

In 2021, the Bessemer City Council approved a settlement of $750,000 to be paid to the Estate of O'Shea Underwood. The settlement agreement dismissed the federal lawsuit with prejudice and contained no admission of wrongdoing by the City of Bessemer or the involved officers.

Whether the officer's use of deadly force against a fleeing individual who did not pose an immediate threat constituted excessive force in violation of the Fourth Amendment; whether the City of Bessemer had unconstitutional policies, customs, or failures in training that directly led to the shooting.

The case intensified local and national scrutiny on police use of force against African Americans, particularly in Alabama. It fueled ongoing debates about racial profiling, the treatment of legally armed Black citizens, and the need for enhanced police accountability and de-escalation training. The settlement was viewed by advocates as a measure of accountability, though they continued to call for broader systemic reforms.