The Houston Police Department officer who fired the shots that killed two people in the infamous 2019 Harding Street raid cannot be sued for using excessive force, a federal appeals court ruled Monday.
Officer Felipe Gallegos acted “like an objectively reasonable officer” during the 80-second firefight that left Rhogena Nicholas and Dennis Tuttle dead and four other police officers wounded, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said.
While the raid was prompted by lies — which landed disgraced HPD officer Gerald Goines in prison for murder — Gallegos is entitled to qualified immunity, a legal doctrine that protects government employees from civil claims while performing their duties, the court ruled…