A police shooting in St. Louis has resulted in the injury of a fellow police officer overnight according to FOX 2 News in St. Louis. The disturbing aspect of the shooting is that a White cop shot a Black off-duty officer because he was scared.
It all started when a high-speed police chase ensued of a stolen vehicle with three teenage suspects. The chase went through various parts of St. Louis and wound up in a quiet neighborhood where the stolen vehicle crashed on the front lawn of the home of a Black off-duty officer. There was gunfire exchanged earlier between the officers and occupants of the stolen vehicle so the officers on the scene had their weapons drawn when the car stopped. The Black off-duty officer came out of his house with his service weapon and was told by the officers at the scene to drop to the ground. The off-duty officer complied and was later recognized by his fellow officers who told him he could get up.
The Black off-duty officer then approached his fellow officers, as another police vehicle came speeding into the neighborhood and stopped at the scene. The unidentified White officer who arrived, inexplicably fired his gun at the Black officer striking him in his arm. Fortunately, the Black officer suffered a non-life-threatening injury and was later released from the hospital. According to police investigators, the officer fired the weapon because he did not recognize the Black off-duty officer and was in fear for his safety.
Rufus J. Tate Jr., the attorney for the Black officer who was shot, stated to the media, “This is the first time that we are aware, that a Black professional, in law enforcement, himself being shot and treated as an ordinary Black guy on the street. This is a real problem. … In the police report, you have so far, there is no description of a threat he received. So we have a real problem with that. But this has been a national discussion for the past two years. There is this perception that a Black man is automatically feared.”
There is no word at this time on whether the White officer who shot his fellow officer is on administrative leave. None of the names of the officers involved in the shooting have been released to the public at this time. The officer who was shot is an 11 year veteran of the force.Two of the teen suspects in the stolen vehicle were arrested and one is currently at large.
