Federal judge lifts order, releasing video from 2022 officer-involved shooting

Published 5:00 pm Wednesday, June 26, 2024

Wendy Tippett and her son Timothy Michael Randall, 29, who was shot and killed in an officer-involved shooting in September 2022. (Katecey Harrell/Tyler Morning Telegraph File)

The federal judge hearing the Tippett v. Iverson case has lifted a protective order, allowing the release of dash cam footage from the September 2022 shooting.

Closely following Judge John D. Love’s ruling, video footage was released to various media outlets and quickly made its way to pages across social media, garnering hundreds of views, shares and comments, few resting on the side of former Rusk County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Shane Iverson or the sheriff’s office.



The family of Michael Randall, who was shot and killed by Iverson during a traffic stop, is represented by Joseph Oxman, who argues law enforcement officials have attempted to portray the shooting as an act of self-defense, a claim he says is contradicted by the footage.

“We believe it [the video] shows that Sgt. Iverson had absolutely no reason to use deadly force,” Oxman said in a previously reported statement. “It’s obvious why they want the protective order, because once the public sees this video, they will understand that Sgt. Iverson was an out-of-control police officer who murdered an individual on the side of the road without any probable cause whatsoever.”

Rusk County Sheriff’s Office attorney Robert Davis, in a late-night interview with KLTV, said Iverson believed he’d discovered a weapon in the waistband of Randall’s pants during a pat down, affecting his actions and reactions during the incident.

Most Popular

“It appeared to be and felt to be, a North American .22 caliber pistol, or something similar,” Davis said in the KLTV interview. “Which drug dealers and drug users are known to carry oftentimes. They’re easy to conceal and they’re small.”

Davis went on to say officers found a “crack pipe” in Randall’s pants, a similar statement previously refuted by Oxman, who said there’s nothing in evidence supporting that allegation.

An informational packet released by representatives of Rusk County includes a lab report from the Texas Department of Public Safety crime laboratory stating that a 6-by-9 envelope was hand-delivered by Texas Ranger Brian Hemati, containing a heat sealed ziploc-type bag which test results showed to contain .22 grams of methamphetamine.

A toxicology report included in the packet also shows Randall to have had a blood alcohol concentration of .017, while testing positive for amphetamine, methamphetamine, and Delta 9.

Randall, the 29-year old Rusk County man shot and killed during a traffic stop initiated by Iverson, formerly of the Rusk County Sheriff’s Office, in Turnertown, a small community along State Highway 64 East in September 2022. According to reports obtained early in the investigation, Iverson performed a pat-down, at which time Randall allegedly attempted to conceal “contraband” in his waistband.

The report stated that Randall did not comply with the deputy’s orders and resisted arrest, which is when the struggle began. The report states this left Iverson in a “tactically compromised position.” During the struggle, Randall was shot in the torso and he later died. The report from the Texas Attorney General’s Office states Randall did not display or use any weapon during the incident, a claim supported by the recently released footage.

Oxman said in a previous interview with the Morning Telegraph that Randall was stopped by Iverson for a traffic violation that should have ended in a ticket but escalated into an act of deadly force, Oxman said.

A statement included in the aforementioned informational packet claims, “When the Deputy approaches and looks in the vehicle, there is an open container of alcohol, a Modela Beer, in the cup holder by Mr. Randall. Mr. Randall smelled of alcohol, and the Deputy asked him to step from the vehicle. The Deputy was going to pat Mr. Randall down and planned on doing a field sobriety test.”

In November 2022, a grand jury no-billed Iverson, meaning he has not faced criminal charges for the shooting. Under most circumstances, this is the end of the case and many people liken it to a dismissal; however, cases that were no-billed can be re-presented to the grand jury or even another grand jury. The prosecutor is not limited from presenting new or additional evidence to that or another grand jury to seek an indictment after a no-bill.

Wendy Tippett, mother of Randall, filed a federal lawsuit in October of 2023, asserting Iverson violated her son’s constitutional rights.

“You shouldn’t be pulled over for a traffic violation, and in less than two minutes, you’re not here anymore,” Tippett said in a November 2023 interview with the Tyler Morning Telegraph. “That should not happen.”

Soon after the filing of the federal lawsuit, attorneys from both sides argued over the protective order which prohibited public view of the video of the incident during trial proceedings, along with the question of qualified immunity for Iverson.

The doctrine of qualified immunity protects state and local officials, including law enforcement officers, from individual liability, unless the official violated a clearly established constitutional right.

Oxman said qualified immunity does not apply in this case, with video footage showing that Iverson escalated the entire situation with little to no probable cause.

If the judge approves the request, hearings would be set to determine if Iverson should receive qualified immunity, with dates expected on Sept. 9, Sept. 23 and Nov. 18.

Michael Randall’s brother Doug Randall is still dealing with the pain of losing his brother and is speaking out. He said the point of the lawsuit is for his family to hold law enforcement accountable and ensure a situation like this one never happens again.

“I said at his funeral that if we stop saying his name it really dies. It’s nice that everyone has not stopped saying his name. I mean that is the biggest goal — getting true justice,” Doug Randall said in an interview with CBS19.

WATCH THE DASH-CAM VIDEO: https://tinyurl.com/officerinvolvedshootingwatch