Like a lost episode of Beavis and Butthead where Todd gets shot at after wielding a TV remote control at officers, it seems we have trouble in Trouble Town;
The officer called out to the suspect to question him about the object in his hand. Clemens said the suspect then appeared to raise his hand in a motion in a way that made it seem as though he had a gun. The officer fired at the suspect, who then fled on foot.
Okay, I know, I try not to comment on crime in Sioux Falls, I strongly believe you are innocent until proven guilty, accept this time, the suspect got away. I will say this also, I am glad the officer was not hurt, and am also happy to hear, apparently the suspect was not injured either, ah, if there was one.
Now, I am not sure what happened, but I am in a speculating mood, so let’s go;
First, what we know;
1) The officer involved has only been on the force for about 2 years and is 27 years old.
2) The suspect was holding ‘something’. Could have been a stick, a box of mac & cheese or a gun.
3) The suspect didn’t respond to the officer’s request (to drop the Hot Pocket Pop Tart).
4) More then one round was fired at suspect (witnesses say up to 6 shots).
5) The officer’s audio recording was working but the patrol car camera was in the opposite direction.
Okay, so the speculation time;
• Could have been a homeless person hard of hearing with a can of Pringles in their hand
• Could have been a jogger with a flashlight
• Could have been Casper the Ghost (the non-friendly version)
At this point nobody knows what it was. But what is troubling is that the SFPD isn’t releasing key information;
1) How many rounds were fired?
2) What was on the audio recording?
3) Should an officer be approaching people in a public park simply because they are walking near a police car? Maybe the person was seeking help, like I said, they may have been hard of hearing, or injured, or confused.
Not sure how this will all turn out, but there is a lot of unanswered questions. Maybe someone needs to hack some emails and work out a sweet ass plea deal to figure this all out, ah, nevermind, that’s the fire department.
I find it troubling that an officer can fire at a person in a public place simply because the officer doesn’t understand the threat. If the suspect ever comes forward, I do think we need to take up a collection to buy him some new drawers.