Update: A San Antonio ex-cop has been charged after he was seen on surveillance video shooting an unarmed teen boy who had been sitting in his car in a McDonald's parking lot eating a hamburger. James Brennand faces two charges of aggravated assault by a public servant, KHOU reports. The 17-year-old remains in critical condition and is on life support, and the charges against Brennand could be upgraded if he dies. The shooting "was unjustified both administratively and criminally," San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said at a press conference Tuesday, per USA Today. Our original story from Sunday follows:
A newly hired San Antonio police officer has been dismissed from the force after he opened fire on a 17-year-old boy who was eating a hamburger while sitting in a car in a McDonald’s parking lot. Erik Cantu is hospitalized in critical condition with multiple gunshot wounds, NBC News reports. A 17-year-old girl who was in the passenger seat of the car was not injured in the Oct. 2 shooting, which was captured on police body camera video. "There is nothing I can say in defense of that officer's actions that night," said Police Chief William McManus, per WOAI.
Police said the officer, James Brennand, went to the McDonald's about 10:45pm in response to a report of a disturbance, the New York Times reports. While talking to witnesses, Brennand saw a car he thought had been stolen and had fled from him the day before. The officer opened the car door and ordered the driver out. The teenager then put the car in reverse and tried to drive away, police said. "The officer was hit by the open door," Capt. Alyssa Campos said. "The officer then stepped back and opened fire on the vehicle as the driver reversed away from him." Cantu put the car in drive, she said, and Brennand fired again as he drove away.
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Cantu was charged with evading detention in a vehicle and assault on a police officer, but the prosecutor later dismissed the counts. Police haven't said whether the car was stolen. The district attorney said he'll wait for the results of the police investigation before deciding whether to charge Brennand, per the AP, who was hired less than a year ago and was still on probation. The issue will be whether he thought his life was in danger, the district attorney said. But McManus said Brennand's actions "do not align with our training, tactics, and procedures," adding, "As such, I terminated him." (More San Antonio stories.)
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