On October 20, a store employee called the police to report a man wearing an orange shirt, carrying a revolver, and attempting to rob the Dollar General where they worked. The suspect was taken down, and now the two officers that fired 42 rounds at the suspect are free from any reprimand by the Hillsborough State Attorney Office.
Dominique Mulkey,26, was carrying a bag full of items when police arrived.
“For at least 11 seconds, the officers repeatedly shouted commands,” Andrew Warren from the State Attorney office said.
Mulkey pulled out a handgun, after dropping his bags, and pointed it at an officer.
“Officers shouted more commands, yelling ‘Drop the gun! several times. Instead of dropping the gun, Mulkey – who had been walking away – turned around completely to face the officers and raised his left hand from his waist up to his chest height, pointing the gun in the direction of the officers,” a statement of the incident said.
According to the medical examiner, Mulkey died from gunshot wounds to the head and torso.
Mulkey’s family shared their grievances, saying that he suffered from mental health issues.
“Every life is precious, which is why we must uphold the highest standard when deadly force is used. This situation is tragic, but the law is clear – when an officer or anyone else has a gun pointed at them, they are allowed to defend themselves; here, they had no other choice,” Warren said.
Do you think that excessive force was used?
