NASHVILLE, TN, October 17, 2025 — The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit has ruled that a lawsuit filed by the widow of Landon Eastep may proceed against one Metropolitan Nashville Police Department officer accused of using excessive force, while granting qualified immunity to eight other officers involved in the fatal 2022 highway shooting.
The case stems from a 35-minute standoff on Interstate 65, where nine officers from multiple agencies fired approximately 33 rounds at Eastep, striking him 12 times. Video evidence confirmed that Eastep, who had initially displayed a box cutter, was shot after raising an unidentified object that officers mistook for a firearm.
According to court documents, the Sixth Circuit found that most officers acted reasonably in using deadly force, given Eastep’s movements and perceived threat. However, the court determined that Officer Brian Murphy’s final two shots, fired after Eastep had already fallen and other officers had ceased fire, could constitute “gratuitous” and unconstitutional force. The panel stated that Murphy’s actions violated clearly established law prohibiting the use of force against incapacitated individuals.
The decision affirms in part and reverses in part a ruling from the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee, allowing the excessive force claim against Murphy to move forward while dismissing the claims against the other eight officers.
