In affirming the district court’s ruling, the three-judge panel said it had reviewed the evidence, including dash cam video, and provided the following summary statement: “After careful consideration and review of a video recording of the shooting, viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to Davidson, we conclude that a reasonable officer in Hancock’s position would have feared for his life. Accordingly, we affirm the district court’s grant of summary judgment based on qualified immunity in favor of Hancock on all claims.”

Davidson had filed a lawsuit in May, 2014 against Hancock, Opelika Police Chief John McEachern and the City of Opelika, claiming Opelika was liable for the “unlawful conduct” of its police officers, failure to properly train its officers to the use of deadly force and the negligent behavior of Hancock.