Smith Ex Rel. Kolski v. City of Brooklyn Park

757 F.3d 765, 2014 WL 2978551, 2014 U.S. App. LEXIS 12594
Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit·Decided July 3, 2014·No. 13-1640·Published·Cited by 20 cases

Opinion

PER CURIAM.

Stacy Ann Smith, as trustee for the heirs and next of kin of Eric Kirk Kolski, filed suit against the City of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota (“the City”) and Brooklyn Park Police Officers Chad Glirbas and Charles Cudd (collectively, “defendants”). Smith alleged that the defendants violated Eric Kolski’s constitutional rights when the officers used deadly force against Kol-ski during a response to a domestic disturbance with a weapon. The defendants moved for summary judgment, and the district court 1 granted the motion. Smith appeals, arguing that the district court erred in granting summary judgment to the defendants because she presented sufficient evidence to create a fact dispute regarding critical facts at the time that the officers used deadly force against Kolski. We affirm.

I. Background

At 6:45 p.m. on November 25, 2008, Pamela Kukowski called 911 to report a domestic disturbance involving a gun at the house that she shared with Kolski. Kukowski explained that she was hiding in the bathroom because Kolski had a shotgun and was threatening to kill her.

Officers responded to the 911 call and set up a perimeter around the house. Officer Glirbas made contact with Kolski at the house’s south door and tried to convince Kolski to exit the house. Kolski stood behind the door, blocking Glirbas’s vision of Kolski’s right side. Officer Cudd, Lieutenant Larry Eckman, Officer Jeremy Halek, and Officer Michael Nordin saw Kolski concealing his right side and right hand.

Officer Glirbas attempted to negotiate with Kolski to get Kolski to exit the house, but Kolski repeated statements like “I’m not going to jail,” “I hurt too bad,” and that he wanted to speak with “Linda.” Officer Glirbas explained to Kolski that he had not gone to jail the last time that the police were at his house and that the police just needed him to step out and talk to them. Kolski replied, “You’re going to have to come in here and get me.” Kolski then closed the door and went back inside the house.

As set forth by the district court, the transcript of the 911 call from Kukowski reveals the following:

Kukowski told the dispatcher that Kol-ski was trying to kick down the bathroom door. (911 Transcript. 8; 911 Audio Track 9.) Dispatch relayed this information to the officers. (911 Transcript. 8; 911 Audio Track 10.)
Kukowski stated that she was afraid that Kolski would shoot through the bathroom door. (911 Transcript 13; 911 Audio Track 21.) Once Kolski realized the police were at the house, he told Kukowski: “If they f* * *ing knock on my door, I’m f* * *ing coming in there, and I’ll f* * *ing (inaudible).” (911 Transcript 17; 911 Audio Track 31.) He then yelled, “I will not go to f* * ring jail. I will not go to f* * *ing jail. Mother f* * *er, you’re full of sh* *. (inaudible).” (911 Transcript. 18; 911 Audio Track 34.) The dispatcher told the police that Kolski told Kukowski that “he’s not going to jail because of [her].” (911 Transcript 18; 911 Audio *768 Track 37.) Later, Kukowski began screaming, while still on the 911 call, and yelling at Kolski to put the gun away and to get his “arm out of there.” (911 Transcript 25-26; 911 Audio Track 47.) Kolski repeatedly asked her if she called the police, and she repeatedly told him to put the gun away. (Id.) Kolski then said “You’re done.” (911 Transcript. 26; 911 Audio Track 47.) Next, Kolski continued to yell, “Let me in this door.” (911 Transcript 27; Audio Track 47.)
Dispatch told the police that Kolski still had the gun, that Kukowski repeatedly told Kolski to put the gun away, and that he kept asking her if she called the police. (911 Audio Track 48; 911 Transcript 27.) Kukowski told dispatch that she was afraid that he would shoot through the bathroom door. (911 Transcript 28-30; 911 Audio Track 51.)
Kolski tried to kick the door in and Kukow[sk]i was screaming. (911 Transcript 36-37; 911 Audio, Track 62.) Dispatch told the police that Kolski was trying to kick the door down. (911 Transcript 40; 911 Audio Track 64.) Kukowski told dispatch that Kolski was walking around outside the bathroom and the lock on the door no longer worked — she was blocking the door with her legs. (911 Transcript 37-38; 911 Audio, Track 62.) Dispatch told the police that Kukowski could hear him walking around outside the bathroom. (911 Transcript 41; 911 Audio Track 66.)

Smith v. City of Brooklyn Park, Civil No. 11-3421 (MJD/JJG), 2013 WL 673861, at *1-2 (D.Minn. Feb. 25, 2013).

Officers interpreted the noises from inside as Kolski attempting to kick in the bathroom door and Kukowski screaming. Based on their determination that Kukow-ski’s life was in danger, the officers decided that immediate entry into the house was necessary. Lieutenant Eckman and Officer Nor din were unsuccessful in their attempt to use tools to enter through the door. The officers then kicked in the door, with Officer Cudd entering first and Officer Glirbas entering behind him.

When Officer Cudd entered the house, he had a barricade in his left hand and his MP5 semi-automatic machine gun in his right hand. Officer Glirbas was also carrying an MP5. Lieutenant Eckman, Sergeant Marcus Erickson, Officer Nordin, Officer Halek, and Officer Rielly Nordan entered next, with their guns drawn. The officers shouted “Police.” One of the officers yelled something to the effect of “come out with your hands up” or “show your hands.” The transcript of the 911 call reveals that Kukowski told the 911 operator that she heard the officers instruct Kolski to “get down on your hands.”

Officer Cudd did not hear a response from Kolski. Because the house was dark and in disorder, the officers had difficulty moving about. The officers entered into the kitchen; when the officers entered, the doorway from the kitchen to the living room was open. Officer Cudd tripped over items as he entered the kitchen adjacent to the living room; as he tripped, Officer Cudd saw a face. Officer Cudd dropped the barricade and turned on the flashlight on his gun to illuminate the living room. He saw Kolski leaning on the couch with a shotgun raised and pointed at the police officers. Officer Cudd yelled, “He’s got a gun!” and fired his weapon at Kolski because he believed that Kolski would kill him or other officers. Officer Glirbas next entered and was a few feet to the left of Officer Cudd when he heard Officer Cudd yell, “He has a gun!” Officer Glirbas also turned on the flashlight on his MP5 semiautomatic machine gun; he saw a male sitting on the couch with a gun in a raised position aimed at the officers. Officer Glirbas believed that Kolski was going to shoot him or Officer Cudd, so Officer Glir-bas fired his gun at Kolski. The transcript *769 of the 911 call reveals that Kolski was shot at 7:15 p.m. Officer Glirbas then approached Kolski and moved Kolski’s shotgun away from his body.

Officer Halek then handcuffed Kolski behind his back as he lay on the couch. As Officer Halek rolled Kolski over, Kolski fell onto the floor. When Officer Halek checked Kolski’s vital signs, Officer Halek found no signs of life. He requested a medical bag and asked dispatch to send the paramedics who were stationed two blocks away.

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Smith Ex Rel. Kolski v. City of Brooklyn Park, 757 F.3d 765, 2014 WL 2978551, 2014 U.S. App. LEXIS 12594 (8th Cir. 2014).

757 F.3d 765 (Smith Ex Rel. Kolski v. City of Brooklyn Park) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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