Father of Dillon McGee files wrongful death suit against county, sheriff
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MADISON COUNTY, Tenn. — The father of a man shot to death by a Madison County deputy has filed a lawsuit alleging wrongful death and civil rights violations. Dennis McGee, father of Dillon McGee, is named as the plaintiff in the lawsuit filed Monday in U.S. District Court. Dillon McGee, 18, of Three Way, was fatally shot Sept. 26 by a Madison County deputy. “Dillon McGee was shot in the back with a bullet exiting the front of his chest as his body was turned away from the gunman,” said McGee family attorney Jeffrey Rosenblum. The lawsuit alleges excessive force led to the wrongful death of McGee and that the force was ultimately the result of practices, policies, customs and patterns of conduct within Madison County. The suit names Madison County, Madison County Sheriff John Mehr and deputy Thomas Knolton as defendants. The lawsuit seeks $3 million in compensatory damages and an amount of punitive damages to be determined by a jury. Mehr declined to comment on the lawsuit. The lawsuit identifies Thomas Knolton as the deputy who shot McGee. Knolton and Terry Stewart were the deputies on scene when McGee was killed, and Mehr previously had not said whether one or both of the deputies fired the shots that killed McGee. A grand jury declined Feb. 2 to indict either of the deputies. Rosenblum and Matthew May are representing Dennis McGee in the lawsuit. Investigators have said Dillon McGee was sitting in his car in the parking lot of a Maverick gas station with 19-year-old Robert Aspiranti. Deputies said when they approached the two to talk about an “ongoing investigation,” McGee took off, almost running over an unnamed deputy who opened fire. The lawsuit alleges McGee was shot in the back at close range while steering the vehicle away from the deputy who fired the gunshot.
