Supreme Court Upholds Warrantless Entry in Suicide Threat Case, Citing Exigent Circumstances
The Supreme Court unanimously ruled in favor of Montana county police who entered a man’s home without a warrant due to a perceived suicide risk. Justice Kagan affirmed that officers may enter a home without a warrant if they have an objectively reasonable belief that an occupant is seriously injured or imminently threatened. Police responded to a report of a threatened suicide, observed concerning signs, and entered the home, resulting in an officer shooting the resident after he emerged with what appeared to be a gun. The court ultimately found the officers’ actions justified under the “community caretaker” exception to the Fourth Amendment, upholding the trial court’s decision and the conviction of the resident.
John Q. Hosedrinker