Judge dismisses lawsuit in Pierce County shooting death of unarmed man in crisis

A federal judge has dismissed a civil-rights lawsuit against Pierce County and one of its deputies in the 2018 shooting death of an unarmed man who was suffering a panic attack on a rural county road.

The judge ruled that Deputy Colby Edwards acted reasonably when he shot William “Billy” Langfitt IV, who was acting erratically and tried to climb into the deputy’s cruiser, which contained a rifle.

Edwards and a witness both said they thought Langfitt was holding a weapon as he approached and entered the cruiser, though it turned out the 28-year-old was clutching only a photograph and a piece of paper, according to court filings. The deputy fired 10 rounds at Langfitt — striking him in the torso, leg and arm — and he died inside the cruiser, next to a semi-automatic AR-15 patrol rifle found undisturbed in a rack between the front seats, according to testimony and scene photographs.

Langfitt’s father, William Langfitt III and his mother, Patricia Langfitt, sued the county and Edwards in 2021, alleging use of excessive force and training failures by the department. U.S. District Judge Benjamin Settle on Feb. 7 found Edwards’ actions were reasonable and constitutional under the circumstances, however.

“Edwards argued that once Langfitt leapt into his car, he was afraid that he would endanger others, by driving while in his ‘paranoid’ and erratic state, and perhaps by accessing the rifle or [a] knife that were in the cruiser,” Settle wrote. “Even if he could not access the weapons immediately, he could have done so later, if he had fled in the cruiser.”

Settle found the deputy had met the criteria for “qualified immunity,” a legal principle that grants government officials and employees immunity from civil lawsuit unless it can be shown that they knowingly violated a law or an individual’s constitutional rights.

“It is in fact clear under these and other authorities that Edwards’ use of force was objectively reasonable,” the judge concluded. “Edwards did not violate Langfitt’s Fourth Amendment rights as a matter of law, and even if he did, he is entitled to qualified immunity.”

Settle also dismissed a claim alleging Pierce County had improperly trained its deputies.

Jesse Valdez, one of the family’s attorneys, said the family disputes Settle’s finding of qualified immunity and will appeal the ruling.

“We will not stop fighting for justice for Billy,” Valdez said. “The facts are there, and we believe they should be heard by a jury.”

According to court documents, Langfitt was with his girlfriend, Naomi Powers, while he was having “some sort of emotional crisis or emotional break” on the night of March 16, 2018. They left Langfitt’s house that night because Powers was concerned about the safety of Langfitt’s roommate’s children.

The couple had driven up a highway in rural Pierce County when Langfitt jumped out of his girlfriend’s vehicle and walked into traffic. Powers activated her emergency flashers as Langfitt wandered into the road and tried to stop oncoming traffic, pounding on the windows and hood of cars. He was dressed in a T-shirt, nylon gym shorts, socks and flip-flops and was clutching a photograph of his grandfather, who had died recently and left him an inheritance, according to court pleadings.

Powers called 911 and told the dispatcher that Langfitt “was having a mental health crisis” and that “she needed someone to help her get Billy to the hospital,” the lawsuit said. She told the dispatcher that Langfitt was not armed, and the lawsuit alleged it should have been clear to responders that Langfitt had nowhere to conceal a weapon, given the clothing he was wearing.

Powers said Edwards arrived at the scene, exited his cruiser, immediately drew his service firearm, failed to close the cruiser’s door and left the vehicle running, in violation of Pierce County Sheriff’s Office policy. The lawsuit alleges Edwards moved away from the car, leaving Langfitt — or anyone else — a clear path to the cruiser.

“Defendant Deputy Edwards has a duty to assist individuals that are

experiencing mental health difficulties,” the lawsuit alleged. “Upon information and belief, Deputy Edwards failed to recognize Billy was suffering from a mental illness and did not follow police practices.”

Langfitt never approached the deputy, but instead moved suddenly toward the open door of the police vehicle. Edwards opened fire as Langfitt climbed inside. Crime scene photographs show he died slumped across the center console, his legs sticking out of the vehicle.

The lawsuit described Langfitt as a “loved, creative, ambitious young man who was dedicated to his family and had high expectations for his future.” He had no had any serious interaction with police before the day he was killed, according to the pleadings.