A US cop was sacked on Friday after a shocking video of his firing multiple shots at a teenager went viral, according to local news reports.
Erick Cantu, 17, was shot multiple times by San Antonio police officer James Brennand while in his vehicle in a McDonald's car park on Sunday. The teen, initially charged with evading detention in a vehicle and assault on a police officer, is recovering at a hospital. Charges against him were dropped after the body-cam footage from the cop was released, US media reported.
The video shows the cop approaching a parked vehicle and abruptly opening its door. He then asked a teenager seen eating a burger inside to step out. When Erick Cantu questioned the cop on why he was being ordered so, the cop tries to grab him and the car started moving in reverse with the door still open. Within seconds, the cop fired multiple shots as the teen shut the door and fled the spot.
The car was reportedly found a block away. The teen suffered multiple gunshots. A 17-year-old girl was in the passenger seat, but was unhurt.
"There's nothing that I can say that could defend what he did, his actions that night," San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said when video of the incident was released. "Officers are prohibited from shooting at moving vehicles unless it's in defense of life, and that particular case that evening was not in defense of life."
Mr McManus said officers didn't find any guns on the teen or in the car he was driving, KSAT.com reported. He added that neither the teen nor the car he was driving had anything to do with the disturbance call officer Brennand was responding to on Sunday night, the news website said.
The cop was called for a disturbance at 10:45 pm and was speaking with witnesses when he noticed Mr Cantu's vehicle and recognised it from a separate incident the day before.
The prior incident was not related to the disturbance call at McDonald's, according to police.
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