Six years ago, Dallas police officers who ostensibly were trying to help Tony Timpa, a 32-year-old man in the midst of a psychological crisis, ended up killing him instead. Four years later, a federal judge ruled that the cops were protected by qualified immunity, which shields public officials from civil liability unless their alleged misconduct violated "clearly established" law. But last December, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit overturned that decision, allowing Timpa's relatives to proceed with their civil rights lawsuit. Today the Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal of the 5th Circuit's decision, which means the plaintiffs will finally get a chance to make their case.
On a Monday night in August 2016, Timpa called 911 to report that he was "having a lot of anxiety" about a man he feared would harm him. Timpa mentioned that he had received several psychiatric diagnoses—schizophrenia, depression, bipolar disorder, and anxiety disorder—but had not taken his medication that day. After police arrived in response to that call and other reports of a man behaving erratically near 1728 West Mockingbird Lane, Timpa yelled, "You're gonna kill me!" He was right.
