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Case Law Blog
Deadly Force on a Fleeing Armed Suspect — When “Armed” Isn’t Enough
Ruffin v. Davis (4th Cir. 2026) Docket Number: 25-1318, April 29, 2026 TL;DR Holding: The Fourth Circuit held that an officer is not entitled to qualified immunity when he uses deadly force on a fleeing suspect—even an armed one—who does not make a threatening or furtive movement with the weapon. Why it matters: This is a major reaffirmation (and tightening) of Tennessee v. Garner + Graham v. Connor: Being armed + running + ignoring commands still does NOT justify deadly forc
May 13 min read
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