Opinion ID: 64737
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Clearly Established Right

Text: At the second step of the qualified immunity inquiry, we ask whether the violated constitutional right was clearly established at the time of the violation. When conducting this inquiry, [t]he central concept is that of `fair warning': The law can be clearly established `despite notable factual distinctions between the precedents relied on and the cases then before the Court, so long as the prior decisions gave reasonable warning that the conduct then at issue violated constitutional rights.' Kinney v. Weaver, 367 F.3d 337, 350 (5th Cir.2004) (en banc) (quoting Hope v. Pelzer, 536 U.S. 730, 740, 122 S.Ct. 2508, 153 L.Ed.2d 666 (2002)). Thus, while the right to be free from excessive force is clearly established in a general sense, the right to be free from the degree of force employed in a particular situation may not have been clear to a reasonable officer at the scene. Bush, 513 F.3d at 502 (citing Saucier, 533 U.S. at 201-02, 121 S.Ct. 2151). We need not dwell on this issue. It has long been clearly established that, absent any other justification for the use of force, it is unreasonable for a police officer to use deadly force against a fleeing felon who does not pose a sufficient threat of harm to the officer or others. See Kirby, 530 F.3d at 483-84. This holds as both a general matter, see Garner, 471 U.S. at 11-12, 105 S.Ct. 1694, and in the more specific context of shooting a suspect fleeing in a motor vehicle, see, e.g., Kirby, 530 F.3d at 484; Vaughan, 343 F.3d at 1332-33. The right in question was therefore clearly established on February 28, 2006, and this is sufficient to affirmatively answer the qualified immunity question of our inquiry. We therefore hold that, were a jury to accept Lytle's version of the facts, it could conclude that O'Donnell had violated Heather Lytle's clearly established constitutional right to be free from an unreasonable seizure. Because Lytle's version of disputed facts permits a decision adverse to O'Donnell, the district court was correct to conclude that O'Donnell's entitlement to qualified immunity turns on the resolution of these factual issues. These disputed factual issues are thus material as to whether O'Donnell is entitled to qualified immunity, and we consequently lack jurisdiction over this interlocutory appeal.