WASHINGTON — Three Marshall County law enforcement officers involved in the 2011 death of a hospital patient won a victory on Monday from the U.S. Supreme Court.

Justices ordered a federal appeals court to reexamine whether the officers can be held liable in the death of a man they tased and tackled.

The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, siding with a federal judge in Muskogee, had ruled earlier this year that the officers were not entitled to qualified immunity in the case and could be sued for using excessive force.

According to the 10th Circuit court, qualified immunity shields officers from suits for damages if “a reasonable officer could have believed (the challenged conduct) to be lawful, in light of clearly established law and the information the arresting officers possessed.”