The Tallahassee Police Department is being ordered to release the names of two police officers involved in the fatal shooting of stabbing suspect Tony McDade.
That’s the ruling from Leon County Circuit Judge Charles Dodson, who says the victim rights amendment known as Marsy’s Law does not apply to police acting in their official line of duty.
The Florida Police Benevolent Association is trying to block the release of the names and says it will appeal Dodson’s ruling. The appeal would instantly put on hold the release of the names.
The police union asserts the officers became crime victims during their interactions with McDade as they tried to arrest him.
The judge ruled that since the officers killed McDade, they’re not seeking protection from him. Dodson wrote, “They apparently seek protection from possible retribution for their on-duty actions from unknown persons in the community. This type of protection is outside the scope of Marsy’s Law…”
Police say 38-year-old Tony McDade fatally stabbed 21-year-old Malik Jackson last May. Hours earlier, McDade posted a Facebook Live video saying he had been attacked by a group of men and vowed to kill them all.
Within minutes of Jackson being killed, police confronted McDade outside the Leon Arms Apartments. Officers say he pointed a gun at them before he was shot.
