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Officer Pistol Whips Suspect, Then Shoots Him In The Leg
Published 3 years ago
On March 10, 2021 officers of the New Orleans Police Department approached a parked car under reasonable suspicion. Officer Isaiah Shannon approached the passenger side of the vehicle, with his weapon drawn behind his back.
The two officers began questioning the passenger of the vehicle, later identified as Anthony Coward stating that the car smelled like weed. After getting nowhere with the two suspects, both officers began to tell them they are illegally parked and are asked to step out of the vehicle.
Officer Shannon's body cam footage shows Coward step out of the vehicle slowly and began turning around. As Coward turned around, he attempted to flee Shannon's grasp and began running away. Officer Shannon held onto Coward's arm and in a desperate attempt to stop the resisting suspect, pistol whipped him.
As seen in the footage, when officer Shannon hits Coward in the head with his firearm, the magazine is released and falls to the ground. In further desperation as the fight continues, officer Shannon discharges the only round left in his firearm and hit Coward in the thigh.
Coward later recovered from his injuries, then spent three weeks in jail. During the time Coward spent in jail, a further investigation went underway for the aggressive violence officer Shannon used against Coward. Before evaluating the situation, Shannon had approached the vehicle with his firearm drawn and hidden behind his back.
Reports have stated that officer Shannon was currently under investigation on multiple counts of using excessive force. Previously, Shannon had been fired from NOPD, but was successful in appealing his case in court. In 2018, Shannon's appeal was a success and allowed him to receive his badge back with NOPD.
Currently there is still and ongoing investigation on the footage provided to prove whether this shooting was justified or not. Let us know what you think in the comments below.