CLEVELAND (AP) - A federal judge's ruling dismissing a lawsuit filed by the family of an unarmed black man fatally shot by an Ohio police officer says the man's civil rights weren't violated.
U.S. District Judge James Gwin ruled Friday that it was a "close and difficult question" whether Euclid police officer Matthew Rhodes used excessive force when he shot 23-year-old Luke Stewart in March 2017 as Stewart drove away with Rhodes in the front passenger seat.
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Gwin concluded that deadly force was warranted because of the risk Rhodes and others faced from Stewart's erratic driving. The ruling said Stewart continued driving despite Rhodes having punched and used a stun gun on him.
Attorneys for Stewart's family say they're "disturbed" by Gwin's ruling and plan to appeal.