Oklahoma Police Officer Charged With Murder After Suicide Intervention

An Oklahoma City Police officer was charged with second-degree murder in the death of a suicidal person Tuesday.

Oklahoma City Police responded to a call of a person threatening suicide Nov. 15. The man, Dustin Pigeon, 29, was holding a bottle of lighter fluid and a lighter, according to police, and was threatening to light himself on fire. Court documents said one officer shot Pigeon with a beanbag shotgun to incapacitate him. Another officer, Sgt. Keith Patrick Sweeney, was alleged to have shot Pigeon several times with his service weapon, killing him.

Pigeon was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police.

Authorities said that Pigeon was not armed and was not dangerous to police and that the use of deadly force was not deemed justified, according to the Oklahoma County District Attorney's office.

“This is one of those situations ... where we've alleged that an officer crossed the line and, in fact, broke the law,” said Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater in a press conference.

The incident was caught on an officer’s body cam and the footage was released Tuesday.

Sweeney, 32, was taken into custody Tuesday morning. He faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted. Sweeney was also charged “in the alternative" with first-degree manslaughter, meaning the jury could choose to convict him of the lesser charge that carries four-year minimum sentence.

“The act of shooting Dustin Pigeon was unreasonable, unjustified and perpetrated in an imminently dangerous manner, evincing a depraved mind and demonstrating a disregard for human life,” said persecutors in the charge against Sweeney.

Prater said that Sweeney claimed Pigeon “had a knife in his hand and I felt like my life was in danger,” though no knife was discovered at the scene.

Police Capt. Bo Mathews told the Associated Press that the investigation was treated like any other.

“We made sure we talked to all witnesses, to the officer and got his statement,” said Mathews. “It’s no different from any other crime we work ... this just happened to involve a police officer.”

The victim’s mother, Aronda Pigeon, said she was shocked by the charge and hopes that she can find peace after the trial.

“I've been told the officer was at fault for shooting my son five times,” the mother told the Oklahoman Tuesday. “I want justice for my son.”