Tennison v. City of Decatur, Alabama et al.

On February 26, 2026, Marcus Tennison, a 29-year-old Black motorist, was fatally shot by Decatur police officers during a traffic stop near the Beltline Road intersection. Officers claimed Tennison brandished a weapon, but dashboard and body-camera footage later revealed he was holding a cell phone while attempting to comply. The family filed a federal civil rights lawsuit alleging excessive force, unlawful seizure, and a pattern of racially biased policing. The complaint also named the City for failing to train officers in de-escalation. The case drew comparisons to nationwide police reform cases, intensifying debates over qualified immunity and municipal liability.

In August 2026, the City of Decatur approved a $2.25 million settlement with the Tennison family and agreed to implement additional de-escalation training and a duty-to-intervene policy for all officers. The individual officers were not criminally charged at the state level, but the settlement explicitly did not require them to admit liability.

Whether the officers used unreasonable deadly force in violation of the Fourth Amendment; whether the City of Decatur maintained a custom of inadequate training and supervision that caused the constitutional deprivation; and whether qualified immunity shields the officers from liability.

The case sparked sustained protests in Decatur and neighboring Huntsville, galvanizing advocacy groups demanding civilian oversight boards. It also prompted the Alabama legislature to consider a bill banning chokeholds and mandating clear vehicle stop protocols, marking one of the most significant state-level police reform pushes in the Deep South in years.