A federal judge has thrown out a civil lawsuit filed by the family of Jason Lipscomb over his fatal shooting by Gastonia officers, ruling that the police use of force was justified under the law. Judge Kenneth D. Bell entered his order on Feb. 2, 2026, granting the defendants’ motion for judgment on the pleadings after reviewing body-worn camera footage. In practical terms, the decision shuts down the family’s 2025 Section 1983 case unless they decide to appeal.
In his Memorandum and Order, Bell wrote that the videos “blatantly contradict” several of the complaint’s allegations and that, based on the record before the court, the officers’ actions were “objectively reasonable.” Applying the qualified-immunity standard, he granted judgment in favor of the officers and the City of Gastonia. The full opinion is available on the federal docket via Justia, and the court directed the clerk to close the case.
How The Deadly Encounter Unfolded
According to contemporaneous coverage and the court’s summary of events, officers responded to a home on July 20, 2022, after a daycare staff member reported that two children had been taken without authorization. Witness accounts and camera footage showed Lipscomb running to a silver car, reversing and knocking an officer to the ground, then moving the vehicle forward toward another officer. Officers opened fire, and the vehicle later crashed, killing Lipscomb. That early reporting, which included doorbell and body-camera video, was covered by local outlets at the time, including WSOC.
Judge Cites Threat And Case Law
Bell wrote that one officer appeared to have been run over and that Lipscomb “never abandoned his attempt to flee,” which, in the court’s view, meant other officers were entitled to respond to what they perceived as a continuing threat. The opinion pointed to Supreme Court and Fourth Circuit decisions that permit the use of force in limited situations involving fleeing vehicles and concluded that, even if some facts were disputed, qualified immunity would still shield the officers. The court’s analysis and case citations are laid out in the Memorandum and Order posted on the federal docket via Justia.
Family Blasts Ruling, Mulls Next Steps
Lipscomb’s family has criticized the shooting since 2022 and says the dismissal is a setback in their search for accountability. “They shot my son,” Robert Hamlett told reporters, according to WSOC. The family filed the lawsuit in 2025. As of the most recent reporting, neither the family nor their attorneys had confirmed whether they plan to appeal.
Protests, Policing Questions Linger In Gastonia
The lawsuit now joins a list of officer-involved shootings that have sparked protests and calls for closer scrutiny of how smaller departments handle high-pressure calls. Community groups took to the streets in Gastonia after the July 2022 shooting, arguing that officers fired rounds in a residential neighborhood, as reported by WFAE. For now, the dismissal highlights how body-worn video and legal doctrines such as qualified immunity often decide whether grieving families can keep their civil cases alive.
