A San Antonio, Texas police officer who shot a teenager while he was eating a meal in a McDonald’s parking lot last week has been identified as officer James Brennand, Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales said in a statement.
Brennand, described by the police department as a probationary officer with seven months of experience, shot 17-year-old Erik Cantu, who remains in critical condition and “literally fighting for his life,” authorities said, according to CNN.
Cantu was initially charged with evading detention in a vehicle and assaulting the officer, who had claimed he was struck by the door of the car as the teen backed up. However, bodycam video of the incident contradicts the officer’s account of the incident.
As noted by CNN, the footage shows officer Brennand as he walks up to the driver’s side of the car, open the door, and order the driver out. The visibly startled teen, who was in the driver’s seat eating, put the car in reverse and started backing up.
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“Brennand then opened fire five times on the car, according to the video. As the driver shifted the vehicle to move forward, body camera video showed the officer opening fire an additional five times as the car drove away.
The SAPD said the teen was found a block away suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. A passenger in the car was uninjured, police said.
Following the release of the video, Brennand was fired for violating the agency’s tactics, training and procedures.
“While Sunday’s shooting of an unarmed teenager by a then-San Antonio Police officer remains under investigation, the facts and evidence we have received so far led us to reject the charges against Erik Cantu for further investigation,” the District Attorney’s office said in a statement.
The SAPD said it is investigating the incident and will forward its findings to the Bexar County District Attorney, who said in a statement his office’s Civil Rights Division would be reviewing the police shooting and the charges against the teen.
