Judge dismisses suit over fatal Bradley shooting [document]

Bradley County Sheriff Deputy Tiffany Oakley
Bradley County Sheriff Deputy Tiffany Oakley
photo Tiffany Oakley

A federal judge has dismissed a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of a Cleveland man shot to death by a deputy in 2015, the Bradley County Sheriff's Office said.

Judge Curtis Collier wrote that Deputy Tiffany Goodwin's conduct was "reasonable" and did not violate Allan L. White III's constitutional rights, sheriff's office spokesman James E. Bradford said in a news release Wednesday afternoon.

The Times Free Press reported that Goodwin told investigators she went home for dinner while working third shift on July 28, 2015, and that White, 23, assaulted her outside her home.

Goodwin used deadly force to defend herself and White died at a local hospital, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation spokesman Josh DeVine said at the time. Goodwin was bruised and shaken but not badly hurt, a sheriff's spokesman said then.

White's family filed a $3 million suit a year later against the sheriff's office, Sheriff Eric Watson and Goodwin, saying Allan White III was needlessly killed and charging the sheriff 's office covered up what really happened.

In May 2016, 10th Judicial District Attorney Steve Crump gave the TBI file to the Bradley County grand jury but said he did not recommend an indictment.

Though it was a "tragic circumstance," Crump said, "it appeared to be a just shooting to me and my office and to the TBI."

The dismissal of the federal constitutional claim sends the case back to Bradley County Circuit Court, where White's family has filed a suit alleging wrongful death, negligence and other issues.

Upcoming Events