Collier v. Bessemer, City of et al

On September 11, 2018, in Bessemer, Alabama, officers responded to a domestic disturbance involving Gregory Collier, who was suicidal and holding a gun to his head. An officer ordered him to drop the weapon. According to the plaintiffs, Collier was lowering the gun when the officer fired multiple shots, killing him. The estate sued the City of Bessemer and the officer under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 for excessive force and wrongful death. The district court granted summary judgment for the defendants. In 2022, the Eleventh Circuit reversed, finding a jury must resolve whether the officer’s use of deadly force was objectively reasonable. The case subsequently settled out of court.

The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama initially granted summary judgment for the defendants. The Eleventh Circuit reversed and remanded, holding that genuine disputes of material fact precluded judgment as a matter of law. The parties reached a confidential settlement before any trial.

Whether the officer's use of deadly force was objectively reasonable under the Fourth Amendment, given the factual dispute over whether Gregory Collier posed an immediate threat of serious physical harm at the moment the shots were fired.

The case highlighted police use of deadly force against individuals in mental health crises and fueled debates on qualified immunity. The appellate ruling emphasized that factual disputes about an imminent threat must be decided by a jury, influencing police training and accountability measures in Alabama.