North Carolina officers denied qualified immunity after wrongful home raid

A United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina has denied qualified immunity to officers involved in a wrongful SWAT-style raid on a residence in Willard, North Carolina.

The incident occurred in April 2024, when officers from the Lee and Pender county sheriff’s departments targeted the home of Avery Marshall and Alisa Carr. Law enforcement believed a suspect's phone had pinged a nearby cell tower and targeted the residence because a Nissan was parked outside. However, the vehicle did not match the suspect's car in model, plate number, VIN, or year.

During the midnight raid, officers smashed windows and doors and deployed a flashbang grenade. The residents, who were holding two children aged 9 and 16, reported trauma including physical injury and heart palpitations. Marshall and Carr, represented by the Institute for Justice, are pursuing a lawsuit against the officers responsible for the raid.