Kenithia Alston v. DC: Date Argued: February 19th, 2026; Docket Number: 25-7056

Case Summary:In the case of Kenithia Alston v. District of Columbia (Docket No. 25-7056), argued before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on February 19, 2026, the relevant facts are as follows:The litigation was brought by Kenithia Alston, acting as the special administrator of the estate of her 22-year-old son, Marqueese Alston, who was fatally shot by D.C. Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers on June 12, 2018.The incident began when MPD officers approached a group of individuals in the Ward 8 neighborhood of Southeast D.C., allegedly utilizing a controversial "jump-out" tactic intended to surprise and search suspects for illegal firearms.A central factual dispute involves the pursuit into an alleyway, where officers claim they saw the outline of a gun through the decedent's pants and that he subsequently fired a weapon at them during the chase.In contrast, the plaintiff cites witness accounts and video evidence suggesting that Marqueese Alston was unarmed, was carrying only a cell phone, and was shot between 12 and 18 times, including multiple wounds to his back.The factual record highlights a controversy regarding the body-worn camera (BWC) footage, which the plaintiff alleges was withheld for years and, when finally shown privately, appeared to be heavily edited and inconsistent with the official police narrative.Following the shooting, a firearm was recovered from a bush yards away from the decedent's body; however, the plaintiff contends the weapon was placed there by officers to justify the use of deadly force.In March 2025, a district court judge denied the officers' motion to dismiss several claims, ruling that qualified immunity could not be granted at the pleading stage because the facts, as alleged, suggested a violation of the Fourth Amendment.The current appeal, docketed as 25-7056, focuses on whether the District of Columbia and the individual officers can be held liable for excessive force and municipal liability based on the "jump-out" practices and the subsequent handling of the investigation.During the oral arguments on February 19, 2026, the D.C. Circuit panel examined whether the district court erred in allowing the case to proceed to discovery despite the officers' claims of immunity and the government's defense of its tactical operations.