On October 3, 1974, Memphis police officers Hymon and Wright were dispatched to a burglary in progress, called in by a neighbor who heard glass breaking (Blume, 1984). Upon arrival Officer Hymon made his way to the rear of the residence where he observed a black male suspect running from the back door of the residence. Officer Hymon gave the suspect verbal commands to stop, in an attempt to effect the arrest, as the suspect began ascending a fence some distance ahead of him. The suspect ignored Officer Hymon’s orders, continuing to scale the fence, forcing Officer Hymon to make a decision. Officer Hymon, fearing the suspect would inevitably get away if he cleared the fence, chose to fire his weapon. The suspect was struck in the back of the head and collapsed on top of the fence. The suspect was identified as 15-year-old Edward Eugene Garner who died a short time later while in surgery.…show more content… Garner’s father filed a civil rights case against the Memphis Police Department, citing that his son’s constitutional rights had been violated. A verdict was returned in favor of the city when the case was heard in August of 1976. An appeal was filed and heard in district appellate court, the ruling was returned finding the use of force had been applied in accordance with the Tennessee deadly force statute, moreover, the ruling stated Garner was not deprived of his constitutional
