Off Duty Campus Cop Shoots Teen In The Head After He Heard A Car Alarm Go Off And Mistook A Cellphone For A Gun

An off-duty college campus police officer in New Orleans shot a 14-year-old boy in the head after hearing a car alarm outside his home.

According to the Daily Mail, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office said that William Daniel Short, who is a cop at the Southern University of New Orleans, has not yet been charged in connection to the shooting outside his Metairie home. Sheriff investigators are still consulting with the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office to decide on whether he should face charges.

Short has been placed on administrative leave over the incident that took place at 3:00 in the morning on April 17th.

Short grabbed his weapon and went outside of his home to investigate a blaring car alarm, believing there was “criminal activity” taking place.

Short told officers he came upon three men whom he ordered to stop where they were, but two of the men fled, leaving the teen there with Short.

Just then, the boy’s phone began ringing and lit up. The Sheriff’s Office claimed that Short believed he saw a muzzle flash coming from the boy’s hand. Believing the teen has a gun, Short fired his gun and struck the boy in the head.

The boy’s status is currently unknown; he was rushed to a local hospital after another resident from Short’s home called 911. The Sheriff’s Office would only confirm that the boy is still in the hospital.

Deputies confirmed that the teen was with four other people who had snuck out their homes and were ‘joyriding’ in a car that belonged to one of their parents. The remaining minors confessed sneaking out and revealed that the group was dropping off a friend near Short’s home prior to the incident. Two from the group left the car, and three stayed behind. But, after a short amount of time, the three climbed out of the car, tripping the alarm.

The three were reportedly walking away from the vehicle when the officer approached them. Both the victim and the officer are white.