Chief
backs up officer who shot at suspect, failed to report incident
by Laura Shay
WELLSTON, Mo. (KMOV.com) -- A
former police officer said a police pursuit he witnessed went too far when he
saw a Wellston police officer shoot at an unarmed suspect.
What former St. Louis City
police officer Eddie Simmons thought was a typical police chase took an unusual
turn when the Wellston officer shot the suspect as he tried to escape.
"I'm looking at all of
this and all it was, this guy was running. That's all he did. Now, if you got
anything called felony running, then he's guilty of that," said Simmons.
After the shot was fired, the
suspect allegedly fell, got back up and took off. Simmons maintains the suspect
was unarmed and was not posing a threat.
When News 4 asked Wellston
Police about the scenario Simmons allegedly saw, it turned out the police
officer had never mentioned what happened to his supervisors.
"If this officer concealed
the shooting in the first place, can his version of events be trusted? That's
possible and we took that into consideration," said Wellston Police
Department Chief G.T Walker. "Prior to this, he's been a good officer. We
haven't had any problems with him."
When asked by officials, the
policeman said his gun went off accidentally and that he just didn't think
about reporting it. The suspect was not hit by the officer's bullet, according
to authorities.
Even with the officer's
explanation, the Wellston Police Department put him on five day unpaid leave
for failing to report the incident and for violating pursuit policy.
The police officer was wearing
a body camera during the incident but it was not turned on.
"With an accidental
discharge, that would be a bit different because there was no criminal
intent," Walker said. "I do believe him [the officer]."
Any additional discipline for
the officer or termination would come from the Wellston City Council.
