Police Brutality / Individual record
Desmond Luster
Desmond Dewayne Luster Sr., 45, was killed by an off-duty Dallas police officer in February 2015 while pursuing people suspected of burglarizing his home; his family later sued.
- Record ID
- PB-103
- Incident date
- February 9, 2015
- Outcome
- Fatal
- Location
- Dallas, TX
- Agency
- Dallas Police Department
- Category
- Fatal on-duty police shooting
- Age (reported)
- 45
What happened
Desmond Luster discovered or was pursuing three people suspected of burglarizing his home on February 9, 2015. He and his mother were in contact with 911. Near a Flying J truck stop, off-duty Dallas officer Aaron Tolerton, who was working private security, encountered Luster and shot him as he drove up to an area where one alleged burglar had been detained. The family said the officer misunderstood the situation and failed to recognize that Luster was the person seeking police assistance. According to the family's account, Tolerton pulled Luster from the vehicle and handcuffed him after firing. Luster's former wife Cassandra and relatives publicly asked for answers. In February 2016, the family announced a lawsuit against Dallas and the private security firm. His obituary described a loved family member mourned at a church service.
Investigation & findings
Luster's family announced a civil lawsuit in February 2016 against the city and the company employing the off-duty officer. The searched reporting did not establish the lawsuit's final disposition.
Washington Post Fatal Force v2; 2015–2024
Source record details
- Source incident ID
- 137
- Race code in source
- B
- Race source method
- not_available
- Gender (source)
- male
- Armed status (source)
- gun
- Flee status (source)
- not
- Agency IDs (source)
- 330
Last reviewed: October 25, 2026
Sources & records
- Primary source
- Additional source
- Methodology and national police killings trackingMapping Police Violence · Dataset/methodology
- Fatal Force v2 — fatal on-duty police shootings, 2015–2024The Washington Post · Dataset
- Fatal Force methodology and data limitationsThe Washington Post · Methodology