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Emma Jones.
Emma Jones, the mother of a New Havener who was shot and killed by an East Haven cop in 1997, has filed to have the U.S. Supreme court hear her case against the town.
Jones’ attorney, David Rosen, Thursday filed a Petition for Writ of Certiorari, an official request to have the U.S. Supreme Court consider her case. Click here to read it.
The case stems from a 1997 incident in which East Haven cops chased Jones’ 21-year-old son Malik into New Haven, boxed in his car, and then shot him several times at close range.
The officer who shot Malik, Robert Flodquist, had tried to pull Malik over in East Haven, and Malik had fled. After the shooting, Officer Flodquist said that he shot Malik because Malik gave him a “Go to Hell” look. Flodquist claimed he thought his life was at risk because Malik’s car may have been slowly rolling backwards at the time of the shooting.
Emma Jones sued the town of East Haven and won. Her $2.5 million verdict was then reversed on a technicality. She later won $900,000 from a second jury in 2010. East Haven appealed that decision and won. A panel of three judges ruled that the town is not liable for the shooting.
Jones’ appeal to the Supreme Court is her last chance to get a court to side with her. The petition is a long shot. The U.S. Supreme Court decides to hear only about 1 percent of the cases it’s petitioned to each year.