Our analysis of this issue begins with
Pittman v. Nelms, 87 F.3d 116 (4th Cir.1996). There, two law enforcement officers, Banks and Nelms, had an ongoing feud with Timothy Hudson.
See Pittman, 87 F.3d at 119. One day in May 1992, Hudson began to drive away in his vehicle as Banks approached him; Banks' arm became entangled in the vehicle, resulting in Banks being dragged for 25 or 30 feet.
See id. at 118, 120. When the vehicle turned to the right, Banks was thrown to the side.
See id. at 120. He picked himself up, ran toward the vehicle, and fired at it as it sped away.
See id. Nelms fired at the same time, injuring Pittman, a passenger in the automobile.
See id. When Nelms fired, the vehicle was approximately 25 feet in front of him, and moving away, and Nelms could see that Banks had not been run over and that he was no longer in danger.
See id. We held that because “the entire series of events took only a few short seconds,” during which Banks was in serious danger, and because the situation was “tense, uncertain, and rapidly evolving,” the force employed was not excessive under clearly established law.
Id. (internal quotation marks omitted).