White St. Louis Cop Shoots Black Off-Duty Cop Because He Feared For His Safety

On Wednesday, in an attempt to assist an officer during a shootout with suspects, a black off-duty policeman was shot by a fellow cop.
According to reports, St. Louis officials initially said the black officer was shot by another officer, who was white, during an exchange of gunfire with suspects. However, Interim Police Chief Lawrence O’Toole said the off-duty officer was shot by an officer in a separate incident.
In the initial incident, officers were following a lead on a stolen vehicle. As officials approached the stolen vehicle, its three occupants opened fire on the officers. The suspects then fled in the vehicle, prompting the officials to give chase. Shortly after, the car crashed and the occupants then fled on foot.
According to reports, two police officers then shot at the men, striking one in the leg. When the off-duty officer, who has not been identified, heard the gunfire, he came out of his home with his official gun to provide assistance. However, as the 11-year veteran officer approached the uniformed officers, he was then instructed to lay on the ground, which he complied, before officials identified him as an officer of the law. When the recognized him, they told him to get up and walk toward them.
As the off-duty officer approached the uniformed officers, another cop, who failed to recognize the officer, arrived at the scene and shot at him once.
According to Fox 2 Now, the officer who shot the cop told officials that he feared for his safety and didn’t recognize the off-duty officer. In turn, a lawyer for the off-duty officer said there was no description of a threat in the police report.
“In the police report, you have so far, there is no description of threat he received. So we have a real problem with that,” Rufus Tate Jr. said. “But this has been a national discussion for the past two years. There is this perception that a black man is automatically feared.”
The officer was then transported to a hospital for treatment and released one day later. Two of the suspects involved in the initial incident have been arrested, the third is still on the loose.