Supreme Court Declines to Revive Wrongful Death Suit over Mississippi Police Shooting

The U.S. Supreme Court will not revive a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of a black man shot to death by a white police officer in Mississippi.

Antwun “Ronnie” Shumpert was killed in June 2016 in Tupelo.

In November 2017, U.S. District Judge Sharion Aycock dismissed the Shumpert family’s lawsuit without a trial. She wrote the law was clear that the officer and the city could not be found liable for damages in Shumpert’s death.

In September, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Aycock’s ruling. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court let the appeals court ruling stand.

Federal and state prosecutors ruled out criminal charges against officer Tyler Cook, despite claims by Shumpert’s relatives that the shooting was unjustified. Cook says he shot as Shumpert punched him.