Federal Judge Rules in Favor of Mobile and 2 Police Officers in Wrongful Death Lawsuit
By Dale Hines
Blue RAM Media/Gulf Coast News
March 12, 2026
MOBILE, AL. A wrongful death lawsuit concluded in Mobile on Tuesday, and a federal judge has ruled in favor of the city of Mobile and two police officers.
The lawsuit alleged the Mobile police officers approached Jawan Dallas in a Theodore mobile home park because he matched the description of a burglary suspect nearly three years ago.
Dallas was non-compliant and a physical altercation ensued and Officer Christian Davila used a Taser gun to subdue Dallas and he later died.
During the trial, a state medical examiner testified that “to a reasonable degree of medical probability and certainty,” Dallas died from cardiorespiratory failure caused by a mix of drugs in his system. The medical examiner also concluded that the use of the Taser did not cause the death.
Based on the testimony of the medical examiner, U.S. District Judge Kristi DuBose ruled that Davila’s use of force was “objectively reasonable” and that he is entitled to qualified immunity.
“Unfortunately, Mr. Dallas died from a heart attack approximately twenty minutes after he was handcuffed. … There is no evidence to refute these findings,” the judge wrote.
Harry Daniels, an attorney for the Dallas family, expressed disappointment with the ruling. He said the evidence is clear that Dallas, 36, was dry-stunned 15 times in 40 seconds.
DuBose also ruled in favor of the city and Officer Jarred Hutto, concluding that the plaintiff’s attorneys had “abandoned” their claims against them by failing to adequately respond to their legal arguments.
Davila and Hutto went to Carol Plantation Mobile Home Park to investigate a report of a possible burglary. Lawyers for the Dallas family disputed that, arguing that at best, it was a case of trespassing. But DuBose noted that the dispatcher originally reported it as a possible burglary.
According to court records, when the officers arrived, they saw Dallas behind the wheel of a car next to a property and another man behind a fence of one of the mobile homes.
Th officers acted within the legal scope of their duties when Davila asked Dallas for his license. After a few minutes, Dallas got out of the car and tried to run. A scuffle ensued. Davila told Dallas to stop resisting and then used his Taser. Dallas repeatedly said, “I can’t breathe.” DuBose acknowledged that in her ruling but wrote, “There is no evidence to support a finding that the force was categorically unconstitutional; the only evidence indicates that Mr. Dallas was resisting the Officers attempt to subdue him.”
The judge also wrote that there is nothing to dispute that Dallas was a threat to the officers.
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