San Antonio Police Officer Fired After Shooting Teen in McDonald’s Parking Lot: A Texas policeman who shot and injured a youngster who was eating a cheeseburger while sitting in his car has been dismissed, according to the police.
In a video statement made public on Wednesday that includes the officer’s bodycam video of the event, police training commander Alyssa Campos stated that San Antonio officer James Brennand was fired after shooting Erik Cantu, 17, on Oct. 2 in a McDonald’s parking lot.
According to Campos, Brennand had attended to a separate incident inside the McDonald’s when he noticed the Cantu inside the vehicle, which had eluded him the day before. According to a statement released on Friday by a prosecutor in Texas, there isn’t enough evidence to bring charges against the teen.
According to Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales, “Sunday’s shooting of an unarmed teenager by a then-San Antonio Police officer continues under investigation, but the facts and evidence we have thus far led us to reject the charges against Erik Cantu for further study.”
After approaching the automobile, Brennand—who had been on the force for less than a year—violated his training and police protocol, according to Campos.
Before Brennand’s requested backup cops arrived, “the officer abruptly unlocked the driver’s door and ordered the driver out of the car,” according to Campos. In the body camera footage of the officer, Cantu can be seen glancing at Brennand while holding a cheeseburger before backing the car away and striking the officer with the open door.
Then, as the door shut and Cantu sped off, Brennand repeatedly fired fire. Cantu, who had been shot, had stopped nearby, where police discovered him along with a passenger who had not been hurt.
Police Chief William McManus told WOAI-TV, “There is nothing I can say in support of that officer’s actions that night.” “In my opinion, there was some initial touch, but that didn’t justify the firing.”
Cantu was first accused of fleeing the police and aggravated assault before being hospitalized in stable condition. In light of the outcome of a police investigation into the incident, Gonzales, the district attorney, stated that no decision had been reached regarding whether to press charges against Brennand.
A rookie San Antonio police officer was fired after he shot a teenager who was eating in a McDonald's parking lot, leaving the 17-year-old in critical condition, the authorities said. https://t.co/QP8JqWHmhU
— The New York Times (@nytimes) October 9, 2022
“We will present the matter to a Grand Jury for their review, as we always do in officer-involved shootings that result in fatalities or significant injuries. We are unable to speak further on this issue until that time,” added Gonzales.
On Friday, inquiries to the police and Cantu’s attorney for comment were not immediately returned.
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