Reich v. City of Elizabethtown, No. 18-6296 (6th Cir. 2019)
Annotate this CaseWhile traveling to a mental health treatment facility, Blough got out of his fiancée’s (Reich) vehicle holding his knife, walked through traffic, and wandered into a residential neighborhood. Blough was experiencing hallucinations, having quit his schizophrenia medication. When he ignored his fiancée’s repeated pleas to get back in the car, she called 911. Reich told police officers that Blough was paranoid and did not like the police, having been shot by police in the past. After he refused commands to drop the knife, Blough “took a step forward toward them” with his knife raised in his right hand in a stabbing position. The officers fired three shots, killing Blough. His estate sued, claiming that the officers used excessive force. The Sixth Circuit affirmed the rejection of the claims on summary judgment. The officers’ use of deadly force was objectively reasonable under the Fourth Amendment; they are shielded by qualified immunity. The totality of the circumstances gave the officers probable cause to believe that Blough posed a threat of serious physical harm to them and others. The court noted Reich’s contradictory testimony.
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