Off-duty jail officer fires at hit-and-run vehicle (Star: car, assault) - Charlotte - North Carolina (NC) - City-Data Forum

Severin1 · 10-10-2011, 10:41 AM

"An off-duty Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office detention officer fired on a vehicle that rear-ended his car Monday morning on Freedom Drive, police said..."

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/10/10/2680556/off-duty-jail-officer-fires-at.html (broken link)

Do you think that he'll get charged for that?

heetseeker · 10-10-2011, 10:44 AM

Even if the dude hit and ran that is not a life threatening situation. Cop is trigger happy and playing god.

brokensky · 10-10-2011, 10:56 AM

This is scary. I don't care if the guy is or isn't in LE . . . shooting at a car involved in a traffic accident is plainly lunatic behavior.

Jake Ryan · 10-10-2011, 11:08 AM

I just read that and thought the same thing. What is this, Starskey and Hutch? He should be charged.....

Drover · 10-10-2011, 11:12 AM

If someone got out with a gun and showed that kind of eagerness to use it, I'd have run too.

Stripes17 · 10-10-2011, 11:25 AM

I can't wait to see the rest of the details so we can digest what really happened, but if his shots didn't hit the SUV, what did they hit???

bs13690 · 10-10-2011, 12:04 PM

Sounds to me like he should. I don't know the exact rules but doesn't seem like you should be allowed to fire your personal weapon at a car fleeing the scene of a H&R. We're not in Texas, for goodness' sake.

mayday30 · 10-10-2011, 12:10 PM

judging by the damage to his car I can't see how the SUV made it that far. Interesting to know if it was a hit and run or a hit and then a scared Sh**less run.

Severin1 · 10-10-2011, 02:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mayday30

judging by the damage to his car I can't see how the SUV made it that far. Interesting to know if it was a hit and run or a hit and then a scared Sh**less run.

This is exactly my feeling as well... Since engine is in front, I'm surprised that the SUV was capable to run. Also, the officer had plenty of time to get SUV licence, make.
There is the possibility the SUV was stolen or driven under the influence.
The SUV driver took off either to save his skin (when he saw the gun), or just drove away with "nothing to loose" if it was a stolen SUV or he was under influence.
Regardless of what happened, I see no real justification for someone to start shooting after the SUV - too high the risk of injuring innocent people.
Of course I hope the SUV driver gets caught and he pays for this. No question if you hit the back of a car, most likely you are guilty.

I just hope it was not just a regular accident (could happen to anybody) where the SUV driver went to see if the passenger from the car in front is OK, and the result was that he was chased with a gun...

vmaxnc · 10-10-2011, 02:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mayday30

judging by the damage to his car I can't see how the SUV made it that far. Interesting to know if it was a hit and run or a hit and then a scared Sh**less run.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Severin1

This is exactly my feeling as well... Since engine is in front, I'm surprised that the SUV was capable to run. Also, the officer had plenty of time to get SUV licence, make.
There is the possibility the SUV was stolen or driven under the influence.
The SUV driver took off either to save his skin (when he saw the gun), or just drove away with "nothing to loose" if it was a stolen SUV or he was under influence.
Regardless of what happened, I see no real justification for someone to start shooting after the SUV - too high the risk of injuring innocent people.

The bumper on a larger SUV, which is connected directly to the frame, would ride over the bumper on that car, and into unsupported sheetmetal. There could easily be very little damage on the SUV.

Maybe the officer viewed the crash as an assault with a deadly weapon, and acted accordingly. Just a thought.