In Raleigh, North Carolina, a federal court has ruled that the mother of a 17-year-old who was killed while driving a reportedly stolen car can proceed with claims against the police officer who shot her son. The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia, overturned a previous dismissal of civil claims, including allegations of excessive force in the shooting death of Nasanto Crenshaw, a Black teenager, against Greensboro city police officer Matthew Lewis Sletten.
The lawsuit has been sent back to the U.S. District Court in Greensboro, where it may proceed to trial. The court also confirmed the dismissal of other claims against the city in the lawsuit. The incident occurred when Sletten, responding to reports of a stolen vehicle in August 2022, chased Crenshaw until they reached a dead end. Sletten then tried to block the car with his patrol vehicle, which the plaintiff claims Crenshaw swiped while attempting to park.
According to the lawsuit, Crenshaw tried to flee from Sletten by driving away when the officer fired multiple shots at the vehicle, ultimately killing the teenager. Sletten argued in court that Crenshaw drove directly towards him, leading him to open fire. Wakita Doriety, the teen’s mother, filed a lawsuit against the city and Sletten for wrongful death, battery, assault, and federal civil rights violations, seeking financial compensation and other forms of relief for her son’s estate.
U.S. District Judge Catherine Eagles had previously dismissed Doriety’s claims against both the city and Sletten after reviewing video evidence of the incident. However, the appellate panel partially disagreed with the ruling, stating that the video did not unequivocally dispute the plaintiff’s plausible claims of excessive force at that stage of the legal proceedings. The panel noted that the video lacked crucial details such as the officer’s position, the trajectory of the stolen vehicle, and the distance between the car and Sletten when he discharged his weapon.
The plaintiff’s attorney, Harry Daniels, expressed hope that Crenshaw’s mother will be able to present her case in court following the appellate ruling. Lawyers from a Greensboro law firm representing Sletten declined to comment, and the possibility of further appeals remains open. Last year, the Guilford County district attorney decided not to pursue criminal charges against Sletten, citing justification for the use of deadly force. The court also upheld the dismissal of the case against the city based on governmental immunity, which shields local governments from certain legal claims related to their employees’ actions.
