AUSTIN, TEXAS — The mother of Peyton Victoria Bradley filed a lawsuit against the city of Austin and multiple Austin Police Department officers and supervisors, alleging they violated her wounded daughter's civil rights by restraining and sedating her before her death. According to court filings, the suit stems from a June 5, 2024, incident in which the 29-year-old died after being restrained and administered ketamine.

The lawsuit claims officers violated Bradley's civil rights by restraining her while she was visibly injured, bleeding and in acute medical distress, according to court filings. Court filings state Bradley was found around 3 a.m. on her back in mulch beneath an apartment window, bleeding from stab wounds, after a caller reported a woman under a ground-floor window who appeared injured and possibly had a needle in her neck.

Bystanders told officers Bradley had not been violent, according to the filing. At one point during the encounter, Bradley said, "I am dying."

The lawsuit alleges one officer restrained Bradley by holding her wrists and positioning herself on top of her while Bradley lay on her back. Another officer is alleged to have twisted Bradley's lower body and applied body weight to her thigh and lower body. According to the filing, officers continued to restrain Bradley despite her condition and after emergency crews told them to release her.

Bradley lost a detectable pulse within about one minute of being administered ketamine and then went into cardiac arrest, the lawsuit states. She lost her pulse about 44 minutes after the first 911 call.

Bradley's mother is seeking survival damages on behalf of her daughter's estate for alleged conscious pain and suffering, as well as wrongful death damages for loss of companionship, support and future milestones. The lawsuit also accuses the defendants of impairing the mother's access to the courts by failing to test, preserve and document key biological evidence, which she says limited her ability to fully investigate her daughter's death.

In a statement, the city of Austin said it had not yet been served with the lawsuit but would review it and respond appropriately. The city is currently defending a similar case with the same allegations from the same plaintiff in state court.