Court rules for officer who shot deaf boy with stun gun

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — A federal appeals court says a Connecticut police officer who shot a 12-year-old deaf boy with a stun gun acted reasonably and is immune from being sued by the boy's parents.

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York ruled today in favor of now-retired West Hartford officer Paul Gionfriddo and overturned a lower court, which denied Gionfriddo's request to dismiss claims in the parents' lawsuit.

Authorities say Gionfriddo shot the boy with a stun gun at the American School for the Deaf in 2013, when the student refused commands to drop a rock after assaulting a teacher. Teachers translated the commands in sign language.

The parents' lawyer says the court's decision sets a "dangerous precedent" for police to use excessive force and a state lawsuit remains pending.