A San Antonio police officer, new to the job, shot a teenager last week at McDonald’s restaurant and was subsequently fired.
Erik Cantu, 17, was in the car with an unidentified teenage female when the cop, James Brennand, opened the vehicle’s door.
Brennand was at McDonald’s in response to an unconnected call. He claims that the maroon car Cantu was in had “evaded” him the night before.
Apparently, the report Brennand turned in the day after the incident doesn’t match the video footage recently released to the public by SAPD.
According to his report, Brennand saw the car that had evaded him the night before, opened the door to find the teenager eating, and ordered him out. At this point he says the teenager tried to run him over, so he pulled his gun and fired shots.
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The video footage, however, shows the car starting to move slightly, and then shots ring out. In the video’s audio, Brennand can be heard radioing for help, “Shots fired! Shots fired!”
This inconsistency is what has caused ripples. Originally Cantu was charged and Brennand was let off. Now that the video has been released, the charges against Cantu were dropped and Brennand has been fired.
This week, it was announced that Brennand would face charges for shooting at the teens. Kens5.com reports that he faces two counts of aggravated assault by a public servant.
Brennand’s colleagues in the force were interviewed after the incident and agreed that he acted out of bounds and that firing him was warranted. They also added that this was out of character for him.
Kens5.com interviewed William McManus, the chief of SAPD, who stated, “[McManus] didn’t know what the officer [Brennand] was thinking.”
“There’s nothing that I can say that could defend what he did, his actions that night,” McManus added.
An in-depth report published by the SAPD details exactly what happened. It ought to be noted that Brennand was still within his 1-year probationary period after graduating from the academy.
Cantu and his passenger managed to retreat from the hail of gunfire in his vehicle but did sustain injuries.
Both teenagers were found shortly thereafter and were given immediate medical attention.
Initial reports said Cantu was recovering in University Hospital. More recent reports, however, indicate that the teen is now on life support.
Police also say that the investigation of this tragic incident could take over a year to complete. Stay tuned for updates.