PHOENIX—Four Phoenix police officers were denied qualified immunity in a lawsuit over the death of a black man during a 2017 arrest attempt in which one officer pressed his knee into the man’s neck and shoulder area, according to a newly unsealed court ruling that rejected the city’s bid to throw out claims of excessive force and wrongful death.
The Aug. 31 ruling by U.S. District Judge Susan Brnovich said disputes over facts in a key moment during the encounter prevented her from making a pretrial ruling on whether the four officers engaged in excessive force in the arrest of Muhammad Abdul Muhaymin, who was homeless and had schizophrenia.
