A Texas police pressure has fired an officer who shot and wounded a young person sitting in his automobile consuming a hamburger.
The San Antonio police division fired James Brennand after he shot Erik Cantu, 17, on 2 October in a fast-food restaurant parking zone, the company’s coaching commander, Alyssa Campos, mentioned in a video assertion launched Wednesday.
Brennand had been despatched to research an unrelated disturbance on the eatery when he noticed Cantu inside a automobile that had evaded him a day earlier, Campos mentioned.
“Because the officer tried to assemble info from witnesses, he observed a automobile that had evaded him the day earlier than because the officer tried a cease as a result of the registered license plate didn’t match the precise automobile,” she mentioned.
A Texas prosecutor mentioned in an announcement Friday that he has not seen sufficient proof to file fees in opposition to {the teenager}, who, after Brennand approached him, backed up his automobile and struck the dismissed officer with an open door.
“Whereas Sunday’s taking pictures of an unarmed teenager by a then-San Antonio police officer stays below investigation, the info and proof we have now obtained to this point led us to reject the fees in opposition to Erik Cantu for additional investigation,” district legal professional Joe Gonzales mentioned.
Brennand had been on the police pressure for seven months when he violated each his coaching in addition to company procedures after approaching Cantu’s automobile, in accordance with Campos.
Campos mentioned Brennand “abruptly opened the motive force’s door and ordered the motive force out of the automobile” earlier than the arrival of backup officers whom Brennand had requested.
Brennand’s body-worn digital camera captured a startled Cantu wanting towards him whereas holding a hamburger, backing up the automobile and hitting the officer with the opened door.
Because the door closed and Cantu drove away, Brennand fired his service pistol a number of instances on the driver, putting him.
Cantu stopped close by, and police quickly discovered him and a passenger, who was not injured.
“There may be nothing I can say in protection of that officer’s actions that night time,” police chief William McManus later mentioned, in accordance with the native information outlet WOAI-TV. “I believe what occurred, initially, there was some contact made, however that didn’t justify the taking pictures.”
Cantu was hospitalized in steady situation, and earlier than prosecutors refused the fees in opposition to the teenager, police booked him with evading an officer and aggravated assault.
Gonzales mentioned his workplace had not determined whether or not to pursue fees in opposition to Brennand however that the police investigation into the taking pictures remained pending.