Corbitt v. Vickers

Police showed up in Amy Corbitt’s yard in pursuit of a man she’d never met. But unfortunately for Ms. Corbitt, the criminal had run onto her property where six children and a dog were playing. The officers drew their handguns and ordered the children to get on the ground.

The children complied, but one officer fired anyway: at the dog, who the court determined posed no threat. The officer missed.

And hit Amy’s ten-year-old child in the leg.

The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals determined the officer was protected by qualified immunity, because the child’s right to not be shot in the leg had not been “clearly established” by case precedent. And because their ruling means the case would be dismissed, case precedent will never be established.