Des Moines Register
On the surface, a recent Iowa Supreme Court ruling looks like a loss for Krystal Wagner, whose son, Shane Jensen, was shot and killed during a standoff with police in Humboldt County in 2017.
But in an era of increased attention on excessive force claims against law enforcement officers, the ruling has made it possible for the first time to file lawsuits accusing the state or state employees of assault or battery.
Jensen, who had a history of mental health issues, had pointed a handgun at his own head and fired it into the air, but was not pointing it toward officers when he was killed, according to court documents.