Earlier today, claims that an off-duty officer opened fire on a suspected shoplifter were substantiated when a video of the event surfaced.
Read the report report, also reshared below:
An investigation has been launched for a shooting that took place in Del City, OK after an off-duty Langston University Officer shot at an alleged shoplifter.
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Video captured by a bystander shows the officer who was working security, in an altercation with the suspect in a parked car inside the Walmart parking lot near Southeast 15th Street and Sooner Road.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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The driver appears to back up while the officer stood near the vehicle, which prompted the officer to pull his gun and open fire.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
According to KOCO 5 News, almost a dozen shots can be heard, as the driver flees the scene. According to Del City Police Commander Bradley Rule, the suspect was hit and received medical attention for “non-life-threatening injuries.” He was met at the hospital by detectives who took his account of the incident.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Luckily, no one else was hit by the vehicle or bullets, but Shannon Hicks told News On 6, it could have ended a very different way. “I was standing at a 45-degree angle from where the shots were fired,” Hicks said. “If I was in the wrong place, I could have been a target as well.”⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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The police report claims the suspect had a receipt but may have left the store with more than what he paid for. As for the officer, it is too early in the district attorney’s investigation to determine if he will be charged.
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Officials of Langston University released the following statement: “The officer was not performing duties on behalf of Langston University at that time of the incident. The Langston University Police Department intends to cooperate with the Del City Police Department if assistance is requested.”