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Supreme Court Likely to Shield Police from Excessive Force in Death of Arkansans

The Supreme Court appears likely to rule for police officers in Arkansas who were involved in a car chase that ended with the deaths of the driver and his passenger.

No one on the court in arguments Tuesday seemed inclined to affirm an appeals court ruling allowing a civil lawsuit by the driver's daughter to proceed against six West Memphis, Ark., police officers. Police fatally shot driver Donald Rickard and passenger Kelly Allen in a chaotic scene on a Memphis street following a chase that began across the Mississippi River in Arkansas.

The lawsuit says police used excessive force. But several justices said the officers should be shielded from liability.

The Associated Press is one of the largest and most trusted sources of independent newsgathering, supplying a steady stream of news to its members, international subscribers and commercial customers. AP is neither privately owned nor government-funded; instead, it's a not-for-profit news cooperative owned by its American newspaper and broadcast members.