Death by Cop  2021-2025

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Timothy Michael Randall

Age : 29

Gender : Male

Race : White

Date : 09/14/2022

Location : State Highway 64 at County Road 4125

City : Turnertown

County : Rusk

State : Texas

Agency : Rusk County Sheriff's Office

Officer(s) :Sgt. Shane Iversen

Cause of Death : Gunshot

Event : Killed by police during traffic stop

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

On 09/14/2022, Rusk County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Shane Iversen stopped Timothy Michael Randall shortly after 12:30 a.m. at the intersection of State Highway 64 and County Road 4125 near Turnertown, alleging that Randall had failed to stop at a stop sign. Randall had been driving to his cousin's house after leaving a local sports bar and had just ended a phone call with his mother after telling her he would be home shortly.
Dash camera video later released through federal court proceedings shows Randall complying with orders to exit his vehicle. As he stepped out, he placed his wallet into his back pocket and adjusted his waistband. Iversen immediately began searching around the front of Randall's waistband and ordered him to place his hands behind his back. Randall repeatedly kept his hands raised and told the deputy, "Officer, I don't have anything on me." He also repeatedly asked why he was being arrested, saying, "Officer, please, can you tell me what I'm under arrest for?" The deputy did not answer his questions.
The encounter escalated into a physical struggle after Iversen forced Randall to the ground. Randall attempted to stand several times while pleading with the deputy. After being thrown to the ground again, Randall turned and began running away from the deputy. As Randall fled, Iversen drew his handgun. Simultaneously with yelling "Get down," Iversen fired a single shot into Randall's chest. Randall continued running a short distance before collapsing in the roadway. The bullet passed through his ribs, lungs, and heart, causing fatal injuries. Although Iversen radioed for an ambulance and attempted medical aid, Randall died at the scene. Randall was unarmed. After the shooting, Iversen located what he said was a methamphetamine pipe inside a soft eyeglass case found on Randall. Investigators also reported later finding suspected methamphetamine in Randall's wallet, while toxicology testing found methamphetamine, marijuana, and a low level of alcohol in his system.
Body camera and dash camera evidence released during subsequent federal litigation captured Iversen returning to his patrol vehicle after another deputy arrived and telephoning a colleague, stating, "I just smoked a dude." He also remarked to another deputy that the object he believed was a weapon "was a f------ meth pipe." Those recordings became central evidence in a federal civil rights lawsuit filed by Randall's mother, Wendy Tippitt.
A Rusk County grand jury declined to indict Iversen in 2022. However, in January 2025, U.S. Magistrate Judge John D. Love denied Iversen qualified immunity in the federal civil lawsuit, finding that a reasonable jury could conclude Randall never threatened the deputy and that the warning to "Get down" was effectively given at the same moment the shot was fired, making it insufficient. The court concluded there were genuine factual disputes over whether the use of deadly force violated Randall's constitutional rights. The federal lawsuit against Iversen and Rusk County remains pending.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.kltv.com/2022/11/03/grand-jury-no-bills-deputy-who-shot-killed-man-rusk-county-traffic-stop/
https://www.kltv.com/2022/10/11/man-killed-rusk-county-deputy-involved-shooting-identified/
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/killing-unarmed-man-texas-deputy-told-colleague-just-smoked-dude-rcna194909