SAN ANTONIO – It was what Federal Judge David Ezra called "a complex case that required detailed analysis."
The family of Cameron Redus, a University of the Incarnate Word student who was shot and killed by campus police officer Chris Carter last December, filed a civil suit against the university and officer Carter in May.
The suit alleges negligence, gross negligence and wrongful death.
In June, the university took the case to federal court, claiming it contained civil right elements.
Redus was shot during a scuffle with Carter during an off-campus traffic stop.
University chancellor Dr. Denise Doyal said that she does not consider Tuesday's ruling a loss.
"It is clear now that this is a case of negligence, it is not an intentional act and so we're very content with this ruling," Doyal said.
Brent Perry, the Redus family attorney, stopped short of calling the school's move to keep the case in federal court a deliberate delay tactic.
"I'm not saying that they didn't have a legal argument," Perry said. "They used a legal argument to get a delay."
Perry said he doubted that the case would get on a state court docket before the end of this year. That does not concern Redus' father Mickey Redus.
He said, "From the beginning of this whole process, our concern is to find justice for our beloved son Cameron and today's decision moves us one step closer in that process."