Kimberly Vaughn v. James Rea

── Kimberly Vaughn v. James Rea ── Court: Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit Date: May 04, 2026 Category: General RECOMMENDED FOR PUBLICATION Pursuant to Sixth Circuit I.O.P. 32.1(b) File Name: 26a0129p.06 UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE SIXTH CIRCUIT ┐ KIMBERLY VAUGHN, through the Administration of the │ Estate of Mohammad J. Isaifan, deceased, │ Plaintiff-Appellant, > No. 25-3537 │ │ v. │ │ JAMES REA; MATTHEW AKER, │ Defendants-Appellees. │ ┘ Appeal from the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio at Cleveland. No. 1:21-cv-02197—David A. Ruiz, District Judge. Decided and Filed: May 4, 2026 Before: THAPAR, BUSH, and MURPHY, Circuit Judges. _________________ COUNSEL ON BRIEF: Scott T. Kamin, LAW OFFICES OF SCOTT T. KAMIN, Galesburg, Illinois, for Appellant. Brian D. Bremer, Kirsten L. Smith, CITY OF AKRON, Akron, Ohio, for Appellees. _________________ OPINION _________________ THAPAR, Circuit Judge. In the span of five seconds, a noncompliant suspect drew his gun and turned toward two police officers. The officers fatally shot him. The district court granted the officers qualified immunity, and we affirm.  No. 25-3537 Vaughn v. Rea, et al. Page 2 I. One morning, multiple callers reported to police dispatchers that a driver had backed his car into a concrete median on the highway. The driver had abandoned his car, which was partially blocking the fast lane. One caller reported that the driver was wearing a purple and gray camouflage outfit and what looked like a bulletproof vest. A nearby officer responded to the abandoned car. Through the open driver-side door, he spotted several rifle rounds, an extended handgun magazine, and a handgun in a holster. He also found a driver’s license belonging to Mohammad Jamal Isaifan. After running the car’s plates, he discovered that the vehicle was registered to Isaifan, who had a listed address on Brittain Road in Akron, Ohio. The officer relayed this information to dispatch. Officers Matthew Akers and James Rea were parked near Isaifan’s address on Brittain Road. While parked, they heard dispatch describe what happened and what the responding officer found in the car. Based on those reports, Akers and Rea believed Isaifan was armed—and likely nearby. They drove down Brittain Road to see whether Isaifan was walking home from the highway. A few minutes later, they spotted a man wearing a tactical vest and purple and gray camouflage who matched Isaifan’s description. The first few moments of the officers’ interaction with Isaifan were captured on grainy surveillance footage. When he saw the officers pulling over, Isaifan jogged into a wooded, bushy area near the road and ducked out of sight. The officers then drew their weapons and followed him into the shrubs, repeatedly identifying themselves as “Akron Police Department.” R. 45, Pg. ID 421. As Isaifan came into view, the officers ordered him to raise his hands and get on