Texas McDonald's Police Shooting: Officer Charged With Assault, 17-Year-Old On Life Support
A former rookie San Antonio police officer was charged with assault Tuesday for shooting an unarmed teenager, who was sitting in his car at a McDonald's parking lot.
James Brennand, 25, was released on $200,000 bond Wednesday after he was arrested and charged with two counts of assault. The shooting took place on Oct. 2.
Erik Cantu, the 17-year-old teenager, remains on life support after undergoing numerous surgeries. Cantu was shot several times at close range. The Cantu family's attorney Brian Power said that "every breath is a struggle for Erik."
Brennand could face more serious charges if Cantu dies.
Body camera footage shows Brennand shooting Cantu while eating a hamburger with a friend. Brennand was responding to an unrelated disturbance call when he spotted Cantu's vehicle, which he thought was the same car that evaded him the previous day.
In the recently released body cam footage, Brennand can be seen walking toward the vehicle and abruptly opening the driver door before Cantu puts the car in reverse and Brennand starts shooting.
Cantu shifts to drive and flees the McDonald's parking lot while Brennand continues to shoot.
Cantu and a female passenger were found about a block away. The passenger sustained no injuries.
Brennand had been on the force for seven months and was fired two days after the shooting.
San Antonio Police Chief William McManus called the shooting unjustified.
"The video was horrific," McManus told local media. "There's no question in anybody's mind looking at the video that the shooting is not justified. And it took us a couple days to terminate Brennand, but he was gone pretty quickly."
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