In the case of Chadrin Lee Mullenix v. Beatrice Luna, 2015, the U.S Supreme Court ruled in favor of a Texas state trooper who had shot and killed a fleeing suspect during a high-speed car chase. The court held that Officer Mullenix was entitled to qualified immunity because he did not violate any clearly established law when he used deadly force to end the pursuit. Israel Leija Jr., had led police on an 18-minute chase at speeds between 85-110 mph after officers tried to arrest him at a drive-through restaurant for violating his parole. During this time, Leija twice called police dispatch threatening to shoot officers if they didn't abandon their pursuit. In response, Mullenix fired six shots from an overpass as Leija's car approached underneath it; four bullets hit and killed him instantly before his vehicle crashed into spike strips laid out by other officers further down the road.

In the dissenting opinion for Mullenix v. Luna, Justice Sonia Sotomayor argued that Officer Chadrin Lee Mullenix did not have qualified immunity in his decision to use deadly force against Israel Leija Jr., who was fleeing from police. She contended that a reasonable officer should have known that shooting at a car without immediate threat of harm violated clearly established Fourth Amendment rights. Sotomayor criticized the majority's reliance on facts unknown to Mullenix at the time he fired shots and their failure to consider whether his actions were reckless or if other reasonable alternatives existed. She also expressed concern about setting precedent where an officer can evade responsibility by asserting they acted out of fear rather than malice, even when their actions are unreasonable.