The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Alabama dismissed a wrongful death and excessive force lawsuit against the city of Mobile and two police officers in a case involving a taser-related death, according to a March 11 statement.
The case stemmed from a July 2023 incident at a mobile home park in Theodore, Alabama, where officers responded to a reported burglary and used a taser on Jawan Dallas during a physical confrontation.
According to FOX10, Dallas repeatedly said he could not breathe. The family’s attorney said Dallas was dry-stunned 15 times in 40 seconds and was not the person accused of trespassing.
More than 1,081 people died following police taser use in the United States between 2001 and 2018, according to an analysis by Grand Canyon Times. The data has been cited in broader discussions about law enforcement use of conducted energy devices, including concerns about disproportionate impacts and deaths involving unarmed individuals. Approximately 90% of those who died were unarmed at the time of their death, and about 32% were Black—more than twice their share of the national population.
Amnesty International has called for stricter limits or suspension on police taser use globally after documenting hundreds of related deaths in the United States. The organization joined more than 80 civil society groups campaigning for a Torture-Free Trade Treaty that would introduce global controls on conducted energy devices used by law enforcement
Amnesty International is a global human rights organization founded in 1961 and headquartered in London. It conducts research and advocacy on issues including freedom of expression, the death penalty, police accountability, torture prevention, and refugee rights, and mobilizes public campaigns aimed at influencing governments and international institutions.
