Which legal ruling restricts deadly force by police against fleeing suspects to immediate threat situations?

• A. Tennessee v. Garner
• B. Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
• C. Blue Curtain
• D. Flight-or-Fight

Answer: (A)

Use of deadly force is limited to situations where there is an immediate threat to life or serious physical harm. Tennessee v. Garner (1985) holds that police may not use deadly force to prevent the escape of a fleeing suspect unless there is probable cause to believe the suspect poses a significant threat of death or serious physical harm to the officer or others. This narrows the old practice of shooting fleeing suspects merely to stop their escape and requires that lethal force be reserved for clear, imminent danger. The other options aren’t relevant legal rulings on police use of deadly force—one is a health condition, another is not a real ruling, and the last is just a common phrase, not a court decision.