JONESBORO — Lawyers for a northeast Arkansas city are asking a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit from the mother of a young man who authorities say fatally shot himself while handcuffed in the backseat of a police car.
Chavis Carter's mother, Teresa Rudd, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city of Jonesboro, its police chief and two officers last month.
Attorneys for the city and police filed a response to the lawsuit in federal court on Thursday.
Police in Jonesboro have faced criticism since they said officers searched Carter twice but didn't find a gun before they noticed him slumped over and bleeding in a patrol car on July 28, 2012.
An autopsy said Carter shot himself in the head while he was under the influence of meth.