The officers involved in the high-speed chase that resulted in the shooting and death of a man in eastern Iowa in 2022 are now being sued by the victim’s estate.
The estate of Kenneth Jamal Carrol, along with its administrator Shanita Taylor, has filed a lawsuit against the cities of Davenport and Bettendorf. Additionally, the lawsuit includes Davenport Police Officers Brandon Askew, Mason Pauley, and Benjamin Betsworth, as well as Bettendorf Police Officer Zachary Thomas.
Iowa State Troopers Kenneth Voorhees and Dwight Swartz are also named as defendants, although the state itself is not included in the lawsuit.
A lawsuit has been filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa, alleging that the officers unlawfully and pretextually pulled over a vehicle in which Carrol was a passenger on October 30, 2022.
According to the lawsuit, after the traffic stop concluded, the police initiated a foot pursuit of Carrol and proceeded to use excessive force, resulting in Carrol being shot multiple times and killed.
The lawsuit is seeking unspecified damages for what is claimed to be a pretextual traffic stop and the alleged use of excessive force.
The defendants have not yet responded to the lawsuit, but an investigation by the Scott County Attorney’s Office determined that the shooting was justified.
On October 16, just two weeks before the shooting, authorities reported that the police had engaged in a pursuit of a vehicle resembling the Hyundai Santa Fe, the same vehicle that Carrol was in on the night of October 30. It was revealed that the vehicle managed to evade the police during that incident.
On October 30, the police made the decision to tail Carrol’s vehicle due to the previous incident. They observed Carrol’s vehicle swerving and crossing the center line of the road. According to the police, Carrol was identified as the driver of the car, contradicting the lawsuit’s claim that they were a passenger.
According to investigators, police dashcam footage revealed that Voorhees chased Carrol’s vehicle at speeds exceeding 100 mph. Eventually, the Santa Fe crashed into a curb, veered off the road, and settled in a ditch within a residential area. Following the incident, all four occupants, including Carrol, fled the scene on foot.
Troopers Voorhees and Swartz chased Carrol through the residential area. Allegedly, Carrol then turned and fired shots in their direction. In response, the troopers fired back.
During the investigation conducted by the Scott County Attorney’s Office, it was revealed that Police officers Askew, Pauley, Betsworth, and Thomas also fired shots at Carrol.
According to the investigators, Carrol had exceeded the legal blood-alcohol limit for driving and was found to have methamphetamine and marijuana in his system at the time of the shooting. The investigators also found the alleged gun used by Carrol approximately 90 feet away from his body. Additionally, it appeared that Carrol had discharged all the rounds in the weapon.
According to former Scott County Attorney Mike Walton, during a press conference in December 2022, officers repeatedly asked Mr. Carrol to get on the ground approximately 15 times.
However, he never complied, which eventually led to the shooting incident. Walton emphasized that if Mr. Carrol had followed their instructions, including after he fired at the officers, the shooting could have been avoided.