Lawsuit filed over death of Tennessee man during K-9 arrest

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) — The family of a Tennessee man who died during an arrest involving a police K-9 has filed a lawsuit saying his constitutional rights were violated. The Chattanooga Times Free Press reported the family of 41-year-old Chad William Songer is suing Bledsoe County government and two deputies. The suit filed last month says Songer died in January 2021 after two Bledsoe County sheriff’s deputies confronted him in his front yard. It says bites from a police dog contributed to his death. Attorney Howard Upchurch is representing the county. He says multiple investigations found no evidence that “would give rise to liability against the officers or the county.”