SAN ANTONIO – The Fourth Court of Appeals on Wednesday has ruled that the University of Incarnate Word is not a governmental unit and therefore cannot claim sovereign immunity in the wrongful death lawsuit of Cameron Redus.
The lawsuit was originally filed by the Redus family after the college senior was fatally shot off-campus by former UIW police Cpl. Christopher Carter. Carter believed Redus was driving drunk and tried to arrest him in an apartment complex parking lot just before shooting Redus multiple times.
The appeals court opinion said that UIW argued that it was entitled to governmental immunity with respect to the actions of its police department. The ruling said that UIW lacks public funding with the legislature, and that the court does not consider UIW a governmental entity under provisions in the Government Code and Local Government Code.
The Redus family released the following statement in regards to the 4th Circuit ruling:
"We continue to appreciate the many people who have supported us with their prayers and acts of love and kindness. It has been four years and three months since Cameron's brutal slaying. We have continued to believe that eventually we would see justice in his case, find a measure of closure in our hearts and see changes that would prevent this kind of tragedy from happening again. Today's decision by the Fourth Court of Appeals will allow us to take the next steps in that process. We want to thank the Justices for their careful and thorough deliberation."
Mickey and Valerie Redus
Redus vs. UIW Wrongful Death Lawsuit
Below is a timeline of Redus' death and the aftermath of the shooting. (Click here for a direct link to the timeline.)