No ruling yet where UIW student shooting lawsuit will land

Mickey Redus, center right, and his wife Valerie Redus, center left, address the media outside the John Wood U.S. Courthouse, flanked by their son Kris Redus, left, and lawyer Brent C. Perry. The parents of Robert Cameron Redus, the slain student at University of the Incarnate Word, were in federal court in San Antonio for a hearing to determine if a lawsuit filed by lawyers of Valerie Redus and Mickey Redus, should stay in federal court or be sent back to state court. Monday, Nov. 17, 2014. less Mickey Redus, center right, and his wife Valerie Redus, center left, address the media outside the John Wood U.S. Courthouse, flanked by their son Kris Redus, left, and lawyer Brent C. Perry. The parents of ... more Photo: BOB OWEN, San Antonio Express-News Photo: BOB OWEN, San Antonio Express-News Image 1 of / 75 Caption Close No ruling yet where UIW student shooting lawsuit will land 1 / 75 Back to Gallery

SAN ANTONIO — A judge said Monday he won't immediately rule on whether a lawsuit over the controversial shooting of University of the Incarnate Word honors student Robert Cameron Redus by a campus police officer should be tried in state or federal court.

Redus' parents sued the University and campus police Cpl. Christopher Carter in state court earlier this year. But UIW moved it to federal court, arguing that the lawsuit alleges Carter violated Redus' civil rights.

The Redus family says their suit only alleges state claims of negligence and wrongful death and want it back in state court. Litigation in federal court takes longer to get to trial because of a backlog of cases and a shortage of judges.

On Friday, UIW asked a federal judge to keep the public from accessing an audio and video recording of the Dec. 6, 2013 encounter in which Carter fatally shot Redus outside Redus' Alamo Heights apartment in the early morning, after he claimed he saw Redus driving erratically.

Alamo Heights Police Department previously denied release of the recording to the public, citing an ongoing investigation.

Read details of how UIW is moving to keep the audio and video recording of the shooting private here or in Monday's print edition, and read details of Monday's hearing in Tuesday's print edition.

gcontreras@express-news.net

Twitter: @gmaninfedland