Tennessee v. Garner (1985) established that shooting a suspect is a seizure under which amendment?

• A. The Fourth Amendment
• B. The First Amendment
• C. The Sixth Amendment
• D. The Eighth Amendment

Answer: (A)

The main concept is how the Fourth Amendment governs police use of deadly force as a seizure. Shooting a suspect to stop them is a seizure because it restrains their liberty, so it falls under the Fourth Amendment’s protection against unreasonable seizures. Tennessee v. Garner clarifies that deadly force to prevent the escape of a fleeing suspect is not automatically allowed; it must be reasonable under the circumstances. Specifically, such force is permissible only if the officer has probable cause to believe the suspect poses a significant threat of death or serious bodily harm to the officer or others. If there isn’t that threat, using deadly force to detain the suspect would be unconstitutional under the Fourth Amendment. The other amendments address different rights—First Amendment covers speech, religion, and petition; Sixth covers rights in criminal prosecutions (like counsel and a speedy trial); Eighth covers cruel and unusual punishment—so they don’t govern this particular rule about police seizures.