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.
SEE ALSO: Major Errors in FBI’s ‘Active Shooter’ Report Perpetuates Narrative that Good Guys w/ Guns Don’t Stop Bad Guys with Guns
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.
Idiot better hope that kid doesn’t die.
All you ignorant wanna be cops and criminals commenting here is mind numbing. Officer ordered him out of the car. Thug failed to comply attacked officer. Was shot. Good shooting except to those woke idiots.
I’m pro gun and pro cop. Actually have a couple in my family. That being said, things like this make me sick. It’s what makes people hate cops and enjoy it when a cop is killed. If a cop fears for his or her life every time they get out of their patrol car they might want to consider a different occupation. Maybe work in a dress shop or a bakery.
I wish some of the people making comments would analyze the shooting based on the law and not their own uniformed opinions because frankly unless one is talking about Graham v. Connor and Tennessee v. Garner and their progeny your opinions are emotional, ignorant and therefore worthless. It would have been nice if the article itself included an actual legal analysis.
It’s important to bear in mind that the legal standard is objective reasonableness and not subjective feelings or beliefs. It’s also important to note that officers can make mistakes and poor tactical decisions and it’s irrelevant. Nor is 20-20 hindsight allowed during an analysis. The question of lawfulness is to be answered at the moment force was used, so whatever he did wrong before that is legally irrelevant.
Here is my emotional, ignorant & worthless opinion. Deadly force was not needed. I hope this kid pulls out of this.
I can’t say anything that hasn’t already been said here in other comments. But is it any wonder why people mistrust the police so much? Hopefully the kid survives this and is able to have some level of normalcy in his life afterwards. If he does no doubt he’ll be able to afford that Lamborghini postered on his bedroom wall.
A 9mm will go straight through any tire sidewall very easily, done it multiple times for fun
on an inflated tire? Uh huh, there IS a major difference.
Thanks but this reads like an account from MSNBC of the St Floyd arrest.
The police found “the teens.” Ahem, right skippy. I’d like all the facts rather than those you have culled.
Well I am probably going to “piss off” a lot of you , but you obviously didn’t read the story properly. First, even if it was the car that had eluded him the day before, the officer had no right to just walk up and snatch the door open. He should have approached the car and gotten the drivers attention,then asked for his drivers license and insurance, then asked the driver to please step out of the vehicle. If any of you were paying attention, the cop should not have had his gun out of his holster at this point. He had no real proof that it was the car that had eluded him the day before. It also states the car moved slightly when he started shooting and radioing “shots fired” he had not been hit by the door or knocked down, “ his life was not in eminent danger”, therefore he was totally in the wrong. The charges against the cop should be excessive use of force , misuse of authority, attempted murder, and anything else the district attorney can think of to throw at him. He should never be allowed to work in law enforcement again. I hope his victim gets one hell of a settlement.
Craig, not sure why you started you reply with that first sentence. No too many folks will disagree with you on this incident. Your first sentence sounds like you think all 2A pro-gun folks are ignorant, toothless, wife beaters, when in fact, due to the level of discussion, we are more knowledgeable about all angles of related subject matter than the most intelligent leftist liberal. I like to say that a 10 year old that has committed the Daisy BB Gun rules of safe gun handling to memory is more knowledgeable than the most intelligent liberal about the subject. And we are no more ignorant, toothless or wife ‘beatery ‘as a group than the leftists.
Completely agree. There was no justifiable use of deadly force in this incident. The suspect vehicle did not try to hit the officer and was only elude the officer, so there was no lethal threat to the officer. I also agree that the officer did not have the right to just walk up and open the door. He needed to identify himself and issue a command first. This officer was either poorly trained or he should never have been in law enforcement because his “contempt of cop” mentality makes him unsuitable in this position of authority, for obvious reasons.
The cop needs to go to prison. He clearly wasn’t trained well. Why did he have his gun drawn? He should’ve approached from the front passenger side. Shooting a kid while he’s eating in the car. WTF.
I , honestly , don’t know what to say .
I’ve never worked in Law Enforcement (don’t
believe I have what it would take ) ,and when I
was that young man’s age , the world was a
different place than it is now .
I don’t know what to say .
Kid should have left the car in park and questioned the officer as to why. While understanding his surprise, trying to injure the cop by backup and hitting him with the door became a criminal offense. 2 wrongs never make anything right. BUT cop was justified in shooting the little punk in self defense.
“But cop was justified in shooting the little punk in self defense.’ You’re an IDIOT”
Agreed, hopefully he doesn’t work with people, especially law in enforcement.
Imagine if that punk kid was your son. Would you still love that asshole cop? Guess you forgot what it was like to be a “punk” kid. I didn’t. I’m just glad that when I was a “punk” kid, cops had enough balls to use their fist before they pulled out their gun.
MB if you think this was a justified shooting, you’re a moron. The punk kid should have done what the cop told him but when the cop shot at the punk he (the cop) was NOT being threatened. You can’t shoot someone running away unless they are still a threat or running away from already shooting someone. If you think they can, try it yourself and see what happens.
MB (the real MB), you are a moron and a danger to civil society. Can’t wait to see this “officer” (a scared bully in a government costume) thrown into general population at the prison.
Sue, Sue, Sue and Sue again. Take everything both the Department and the Idiot cop has or will ever have.
There is one common factor in almost every police shooting. Not following lawful police commands. Show you hands. Shut off the engine. Get out of the car if asked. Don’t run. Don’t fight. Don’t argue. You don’t have to answer questions and you have the right to a lawyer. Use your head.
The police have the right to detain if they have reasonable suspicion or probable cause. If you feel they’re unjustified, deal with it later. Go to court. File a complaint. Whatever. It’s not worth your life. Better to be judged by 12 than carried by 6.
Absolutely! That’s why we are so lucky to live in this great country. You’ll always have your day in court and the opportunity to give your side of the story. Regardless – this was a bad shoot!
While that’s all well and good, Peter D, it doesn’t change the fact that this cowardly cop committed a crime and should go to prison for it.
No doubt the kid was stupid. But the bigger issue is that the law enforcement community has gotten to the point that every interaction with people in the community is perceived as a deadly threat. This leads to a spiraling pattern of reactions where eventually all trust is lost and law enforcement is seen as a gang with uniforms.
Just last week, a pro-life protester, father of 12, no record of violent behavior, had his house stormed by a swat team for a misdemeanor infraction. This is not what happens in a free country that is not a police state.
The reason many cops consider all interactions to be potentially life threatening is because the perpetrators, encouraged by non-prosecuting DAs, have made it that way.
I couldn’t agree more Phil. Why are minor traffic violations instances where shots are fired? I fully support the police but it seems they view their lives as more important than the ones whom they’ve sworn to protect, and lay their lives down for. You can’t be a hero if acting the bully!
The suspect should have listened to the police officer and the officer should have shot out the tires instead. There must be harsher punishment for not listening to police officers and a few police officers must realize that lethal force is not to be used in a situation like this.
He should have shot the tires and the suspect should not have took off.
Many of you are under the impression that a 9mm will penetrate a tire sidewall.
This is false, and actually runs the risk of a bullet bouncing back (Yes, it CAN happen) and injuring others.
Dump your Hollywood ideals, shooting tires with a handgun is dangerous and foolish.
If that is true and factual
Why are tires not used as body armor or ballistic shield
I know for a fact that a 22 long rifle will penetrate side wall of a tire every time.
I completely agree. He shouldn’t have shot the kid. However, these punk ass kids and their shitbag parents ought to know better by now.
You know I am guessing you were a kid once upon a time, and if you are a parent I hope you don’t have kids as they might turn out like you. Being 70, a Dad, Grandpa, and such I still have faith in punk-ass kids today, and yes I was a punk-ass kid many moons ago. Guys like you need an Attitude Adjust as you are part of our problem. If you got nothing decent to say or at least a solution to what you see as our problem, please find a rock to crawl unde. Enough Said. God Bless You and All Of Us.
Horrible shoot, totally unjustified under the law, but Cantu should’ve exited the car immediately when the cop pointed a gun at him. Better to be alive and healthy and filing a complaint against the cop than being on life support 😥
Shame this poor kid was not a BLM or ANTIFA rioter. The police guard those groups from their victims.
Regular people in America? You’re nothing but a walking target for the police, Federal government, BLM, ANTIFA, or any real terrorist group.
This is the reason for body cams. If they didn’t exist the cop would have lied his way out and the judges almost always rule on the side of law enforcement. Bad shoot plain and simple.