Dixon v. Georgia Department of PubLic Safety

135 F. Supp. 3d 1362, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 126900, 2015 WL 5602460
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Georgia
DecidedSeptember 22, 2015
DocketCV 214-47
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 135 F. Supp. 3d 1362 (Dixon v. Georgia Department of PubLic Safety) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. Georgia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Dixon v. Georgia Department of PubLic Safety, 135 F. Supp. 3d 1362, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 126900, 2015 WL 5602460 (S.D. Ga. 2015).

Opinion

ORDER

LISA GODBEY WOOD, CHIEF JUDGE, UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT, SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF GEORGIA .

On February 19, 2012,' a Special Weapons and Tactics (“SWAT”) team from the Georgia Department of Public Safety (“DPS”) responded to a situation involving a barricaded gunman in Appling County,' Georgia. A little less than two hours after the first member of the SWAT team arrived, one of the SWAT team members, Defendant Albert 'Harvey Williford, shot and killed the subject of the SWAT team’s operation, James M. Dixon, III. This suit was brought against DPS and Williford individually by Dixon’s parents and particularly his father, as Executor of his Estate. Presently before the Court is Defendants’ Motion for Judgment on the Pleadings. Dkt. No.' 6. Upon due consideration, Defendants’ Motion is GRANTED IN PART, as to Plaintiffs’ state law claims against Williford, and DENIED IN PART, as to Plaintiffs’ state law claims against DPS and federal claims against Defendant Williford, as explained herein.

I. Factual Background1

On the morning of February 19,- 2012, in Appling County, Georgia, a DPS SWAT team “responded to a mandatory DPS SWAT call out activation-for a barricaded [1366]*1366gunman, James M: Dixon, III[.]” Dkt. No. 1-1,, ¶ 18. According to Plaintiffs, the SWAT team members who responded were acting within the scope of their official duties as DPS' employees and were acting under color of state law. Id. at ¶¶ 19-20. Fourteen members of the SWAT team arrived at the designated call-out location between 6:49 am and 8:35 am. Id. at ¶¶ 21-34. Defendant Albert Harvey Wil-liford was the third SWAT team member to arrive. He arrived at approximately 7:32 am. Id. at ¶ 23. Brian Stone arrived in a DPS Bearcat armored vehicle at roughly 7:35 am. Id. at ¶¶ 9,27. Jeff Cain, the CNT crisis negotiator, was the eleventh SWAT team member to arrive. He arrived at about 8:25 am. Id. at ¶¶ 13, 31.

Plaintiffs point.out that “DPS has clearly defined regulations regarding the composition and conduct of a DPS SWAT TEAM responding to a barricaded gunman call-out which James M. Dixon, III constituted on February 19, 2012.” Id. at ¶ 37. DPS Policy # 25.02 provides for the designation of a single Tactical Team Commander on any given call-out. activation, and the SWAT team members become subordinates to that person until the Tactical Team Commander determines that the activation is over. Plaintiffs allege that the SWAT team that responded to Dixon’s location “failed to designate a single Tactical Team Commander during the CALL-OUT[,]” as was provided for in the DPS policy applicable to barricade situations. Id. at ¶¶ 41-47.

To support these allegations, Plaintiffs report the seemingly different understandings of several officers about who was in charge and what the plan was in responding to the situation. According to Darrell Thigpin, Williford was communicating commands from DPS SWAT Commander Lieutenant Steven Bone2. to the SWAT teann Id. at ¶¶ 10, 36, 48. Thigpin expressed that Williford conveyed Bone’s commands that Dixon was to be contained inside the team’s perimeter, and the team was only to take action if Dixon tried to leave or made an aggressive action toward the SWAT team. Id. at ¶¶ 48-49. Williford expressed that, upon his arrival, he “assumed the lead position for dispatching Georgia State Patrol SWAT to handle the situationf.]” Id. at ¶ 50. In contrast, Josh Augusta reported that Mark Lamb was in charge, as he “was the senior member of the team” and because “none of the full time SWAT Commanders [were] on scene at the time[.]” Id. at ¶¶ 4, 8, ’51. Augusta also stated that DPS SWAT Sergeant Greg Shackelford3 commanded him to drive the Bearcat to Dixon’s front yard. Id. at ¶ 52.

According to Bone, the team’s objective was to “[s]et up a perimeter around the residence and prevent the suspect from leaving[.]” Id. at ¶ 53. Chris Cuddington said the team’s plan was to “negotiate the suspect from the residence. If negotiations failed, then chemical agents were to be used to persuade the suspect into surrendering[.]” Id. at ¶¶ 6, 54. Patrick Orr expressed that the team’s plan was to secure the area around the residence and to deploy'gas to persuade Dixon’s surrender if negotiations failed. Id. at ¶¶ 11, 55. Blake Swicord, the highest ranking SWAT team member on the scene before Dixon was shot, stated that the. plan was to make announcements to Dixon, who was barricaded in . the residence and would not respond to local law enforcement regarding a warrant, for his arrest. Id. at ¶¶ 14, 56. Swicord also stated that gas would be deployed, and the officers would eventually [1367]*1367enter the residence to take “the primary suspect” into custody. Id. at ¶ 56. Plaintiffs allege that Williford and Lamb, in contrast, never reported that the plan was to deploy chemical agents or gas if negotiations with. Dixon failed. Id. at ¶¶, 57-58.

According to DPS Policy # 25.08, it is the “policy , of the Georgia Department of Public Safety to provide crisis negotiators, when determined by the SWAT Commander, to communicate effectively with any potential suicide victim .or barricaded gunman, regardless of motivation[.]” Id. at ¶ 74. Plaintiffs maintain that DPS sent Cain, a crisis negotiator, to the call-out location in order to provide effective communication with -Dixon. Id. at ¶¶ 75-76. Plaintiffs contend that Cain never communicated with Dixon. Id. at ¶ 77. Instead, Plaintiffs allege that Lamb, who is not a crisis negotiator, was the only DPS SWAT team member who communicated with Dixon prior to his being shot. Id. at ¶¶ 78-79. Plaintiffs further allege that Lamb never commanded Dixon to disarm or he would be shot. Id. at ¶ 80. According to Plaintiffs, Lamb’s communication with Dixon was ineffective. Id. at ¶ 81.

DPS Policy # 25.02 additionally provides that a DPS SWAT team should establish an inner and outer perimeter around a barricaded gunman. Id. at ¶ 67. Plaintiffs allege that the SWAT team failed to exercise due care in executing this rule, because the team failed “to relocate Appling County Deputy Sheriffs and/or other local law enforcement personnel to a safe position outside of the DPS SWAT TEAM’S perimeter.” Id. at ¶ 68. Several SWAT team members were reportedly concerned for the safety of the deputy sheriffs and other local law enforcement personnel because of them proximity to Dixon’s residence. Id. at ¶ 69. Swicord did not feel comfortable with the SWAT team members or deputies being as close as they were to the residence because he had heard that “the suspect possibly had a long gun.” Id. at ¶ 70. Swicord instructed Lamb to tell the Appling County authorities to back away;from the residence, but he was told, “that the Applingi-County officials had already been advised[.]” Id. at ¶ 71.

According to Plaintiffs, after the SWAT team’s arrival at the call-out location, Dixon never tried to leave the call-out location. Id. at ¶ 59. In the minutes before his death, Dixon “turned off the ignition to his running vehicle, removed the keys from the ignition and tossed the keys to his vehicle into his yard.” Id. at ¶ 60. Plaintiffs allege that, after the SWAT team’s arrival at the call-out location, Dixon “never made an aggressive action toward the DPS SWAT TEAM.” Id. at ¶ 61. The DPS SWAT TEAM never deployed any chemical agents or gas. Id, at ¶ 62.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
135 F. Supp. 3d 1362, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 126900, 2015 WL 5602460, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/dixon-v-georgia-department-of-public-safety-gasd-2015.