A federal lawsuit was filed against a Texas sheriff’s deputy who shot dead an unarmed man during a late-night traffic stop in 2022. He was then heard telling a colleague, “I just smoked a dude.”
The suit, filed by the family of 29-year-old Timothy Michael Randall, accuses Rusk County Deputy Sgt Shane Iversen of excessive force and false arrest, as per NBC News. The incident, captured on dashcam, shows Randall questioning why he was being detained before a brief struggle and eventual shooting occurred.
The confrontation began just after 12:30 am on September 14, 2022, when Randall was pulled over while returning home from a visit to his cousin’s house. Iversen stopped Randall’s car, allegedly for failing to halt at a stop sign – a claim Randall immediately denied.
Dashcam footage shows Randall cooperating as he stepped out of the car, placed his wallet in his back pocket, and adjusted his waistband. Iversen then reached into Randall’s pants and ordered him to put his hands behind his back. “Officer, I don’t have anything on me,” Randall said, raising his hands. “Officer, please, can you tell me what I’m under arrest for?” Iversen offered no explanation.
The situation escalated rapidly. Iversen wrestled Randall to the ground. Randall, pleading, said, “Officer, please,” as he tried to get up. Iversen threw him down again. When Randall got to his feet and started to run, Iversen drew his gun.
“Get down,” the deputy shouted, before firing a single round into Randall’s chest.
Randall ran a short distance before collapsing face down on the road. Iversen radioed for help and attempted CPR, but Randall died at the scene. The autopsy report said the bullet tore through his ribs, lungs, and heart.
Minutes later, Iversen was caught on his patrol car’s audio system calling a colleague. “I just smoked a dude,” he said quietly.
Iversen later told investigators he noticed an open can of beer in Randall’s car and suspected he might be intoxicated. He also claimed Randall made a “furtive gesture” with his right hand – an action Iversen interpreted as potentially reaching for a weapon, NBC News reported.
During a pat-down, Iversen said he felt a soft, rectangular object with something hard inside Randall’s pants and feared it could be a mini revolver. “At that point, I’m like I have an issue here,” he said.
According to Iversen, he took Randall down out of concern for his safety. But when Randall got back up and appeared to run toward him, Iversen – still on his knees – fired. “I don’t want to be caught on my knees with this active guy with a weapon in his waistband,” he told investigators. “At that point… survival instinct kicked in.”
After the shooting, Iversen searched Randall’s pockets and claimed he found a spectacle case containing a meth pipe. The dashcam footage doesn’t clearly show this, but Iversen is heard telling another deputy, “It was a f****** meth pipe, man.”
Two police use-of-force experts who reviewed the dashcam footage and the Texas Rangers’ report told NBC News they saw no justification for Iversen to open fire.
Rusk County was removed as a defendant after a judge granted its motion to dismiss. A district judge is now expected to decide whether the case against Iversen will move forward in the coming days.
