The corrupt sheriff (Arthur Franz) puts Adam Cartwright (Pernell Roberts) in the jail cell without locking the door in order to shoot him while he was "escaping". At the time, and certainly until the 1985 US Supreme Court decision in Tennessee vs Garner, the use of deadly force was acceptable to apprehend a fleeing suspect. The Supreme Court ruled that when an officer of the law was pursuing a fleeing suspect, the officer may not use deadly force to prevent escape unless "the officer has probable cause to believe that the suspect poses a significant threat of death or serious physical injury to the officer or others."