Legal Question in Civil Litigation in Maryland

Laws on CPR

If a shooting victim is receiving CPR from a Good Samaritan at the time of police arrival, is it lawful for that officer to force(at gun point) the person giving CPR to stop knowing that the victim may lose his or her life if the CPR is stopped?


Asked on 8/16/04, 12:00 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys

Robert Sher Wagshal and Sher

Re: Laws on CPR

A police officer may draw his weapon for his self-protection or the protection of others in the vicinity if he reasonably believes the person on whom the weapon is drawn is armed or otherwise poses such a threat.

The "good samaritan/cpr" issue you injected into your question confuses the issue. It's doubtful that the police officer drew his/her weapon for the express purpose of depriving the victim of cpr. But if the officer's actions were unreasonable and as a result the victim died, his estate could have a valid civil claim against the police.

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Answered on 8/16/04, 3:34 pm


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