June 29, 2023

"The video, which is embedded below, begins with the officer casually talking to a woman and her two children about seatbelt safety."

"Moments later, the sound of rapid gunfire erupts in the distance. The woman quickly lowers her head and moves her children out of the way as the officer reaches inside his patrol vehicle for a rifle and notifies dispatchers he's heard gunshots. The officer runs toward the stores, tracking the sounds of gunfire as they grew louder and louder the closer he gets. As he continues moving toward the blasts, shooting at people to leave the area and take cover...."


I chose this article to blog after I saw the video on Twitter, but I considered switching to a different source when I noticed the terrible typo, but I'll keep this as a lesson in finding the typos the spellchecker doesn't catch.

In any case, I'm glad this police officer was not indicted for what was an impressive demonstration of courage.

44 comments:

Political Junkie said...

This was Texas. No cop would be indicted for this gallant behavior.

rhhardin said...

He seems to be seriously out of shape.

Dave Begley said...

People have no idea how brave and athletic the police are.

At the time of the St. George Floyd riots, the Omaha police did a traffic stop at night. The cops tell him to show his hands and get out of the car. He doesn’t obey. They yank him out of the car. He has a gun in his pants. Before this guy can shoot the police, he gets shot and killed. He was a convicted felon. What a brave and athletic move by the police. Compare that to a last second TD pass.

tim in vermont said...

The fact that they *tried* to indict him in the first place tells you all you need to know about the people who have determined that the elected position of D.A. is an exploitable loophole in our system of justice, and what they are trying to do to America.

Chest Rockwell said...

Why would he even be investigated by a grand jury? In Texas of all places?

rhhardin said...

Check out Arkansas State Police car chases on YouTube, for the ritual of putting the perp in the trees and hauling him out of the car and cuffing him around a lot, after which the assembled police have a social orgy like drunken St Bernards after devouring a fallen skier.

If the guy turns out to be severely injured they're a lot more considerate.

Ann Althouse said...

"He seems to be seriously out of shape"/"People have no idea how... athletic the police are."

A difference of opinion. Do you know how much you'd be huffing and puffing if you were running and subject to this level of stress and how it would be picked up on a recording device strapped to your body?

Sean Gleeson said...

And was this officer truly "shooting at people to leave the area and take cover"? Good lord, I hope they meant "shouting."

JAORE said...

"I'm glad this police officer was not indicted for what was an impressive demonstration of courage."

Me too. But I am saddened that indicting the officer in this situation was even a possibility.

Randomizer said...

Blogger rhhardin said...

He seems to be seriously out of shape.

This guy went from passing out safety stickers to a combat situation in a few seconds. The intense stress of the situation surely increased his breathing as he jogged along in whatever gear he was wearing. He kept his head as he continued to feed information to the dispatcher.

Smart and courageous, that cop did an admirable job.

Madison Mike said...

Not to mention that he was carrying a belt with many pounds of equipment. Did he shoot at people or shout at them.....seems highly unlikely that he would have shot at people to get them out of harm's way

Jamie said...

Do you know how much you'd be huffing and puffing if you were running and subject to this level of stress and how it would be picked up on a recording device strapped to your body?

My everyday brisk walk (I try to hit a pace that gets my watch to acknowledge it as a run) with my dog results in my "huffing and puffing," with zero stress, after two years of conditioning, and in clothing designed for exertion. Do no, I don't know.

But the respect I have for those who run toward the gunfire has no bounds.

gilbar said...

rhhardin, is the Most athletic man, In The World.. he is The One to declare people out of shape.
rhhardin, ROUTINELY runs in Full Police Gear, carrying a rifle, Shouting at the top of his lungs,
while in a desperate situation.. Without having his pulse or breath rate rise; at ALL.
HE is JUST THAT AWESOME!!!
How do i know? i Know because rhhardin TELLS Us so.

Personally, i think the cop gave an excellent example of thinking on his feet

Leland said...

He seems like the officers I meet most every day in Texas. Happy to chat with residents and keep up with the community. Always ready to spring into action if they are needed.

Did anyone get a count on the number of Tesla automobiles in the parking lot?

Big Mike said...

I would take cover if a police officer shouted at me to do so. Also if he was shooting at me.

rhhardin said...

Somebody in shape exhibits regular breathing and intuits how fast to go to reach a specific place quickest, that is, not running out of air before he gets there. Somebody out of shape runs out of air right away.

Tina Trent said...

He's passing dead or injured people. He has no idea where the shooter is. He doesn't know how many people are shooting. It's an outlet mall -- the worst type of open air danger: people running in all directions, weird acoustics, and multiple glass windows, storefronts, and blind corners. He has to report his movements and be kept aware of other police so they don't shoot each other.

Some lessons here for the ANTIFA, BLM, and assorted other well-funded morons opposing the creation of a state-of-the-art training center for police, firemen, and EMT in Atlanta.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

We need more of these types of brave police.

I know - Lets defund them - as promised by many leftist democrats in positions of power.

Michael said...


What type of evil prosecutor, after watching that video, would then put the case before a grand jury?

Birches said...

What a typo!

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

A Grand Jury had to clear a police officer for doing his job and saving lives?

Fuck our ridiculous Neo-Marxist corrupt country.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Aggie said...

'Out of shape' was my first thought too, but I went back and checked out his shadow from the beginning and it didn't look like he was obese. The cops carry about 20 lb of equipment, and if he had a vest on, add another 20. Not so easy when the juices are flowing. I am surprised that he didn't move closer with his cruiser first, though and leave the lights flashing. That's just stupid MMQ'ing though, there is no doubting his bravery and resolve.

I would like to know how much of the investigation could fairly be called 'standard processing & clearing' of a police shooting, and how much of it was opportunistic fault-finding. Yes, folks, this is Texas - but it's not as Republican as one might first think. Dallas is a solid dark blue city and has been for years, and it's got all the usual crap: Homeless people, too-big machine government, lots of election irregularities. Ft. Worth, next door, just started voting their way out of it with a Republican mayor. But Houston, San Antonio, El Paso, are all My-Blue-Heaven cities, not to mention the Socialist Republic of Austin.

gilbar said...

Serious Question. for ALL of you:
How many times, have you..
Ran through a shooting zone, while shouting (or shooting) at people to clear the area..
While, at the same time, communicating on the radio with HQ..
Carrying Full Kit, including a rifle..
And STILL been able to take out a opponent?
I mean, For Real; not some paintball game.
Some of you say you were in service in Nam.. Did you EVER start panting during a firefight?

If so.. rhhardin says that
a) you were 'seriously out of shape'.. Back THEN
b) HE, would have had NO PROBLEM.. And wouldn't EVEN have gotten his hair mussed; because..
c) rhhardin is, The SINGLE MOST AWESOME MAN... IN THE World

rh? how Many times, Have you been under fire? I'm assuming that it was SO MANY you lost count..
Maybe a rough estimate? 20 times? 50 times? 25,000 times? EVER?

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

Leftists (Lying liars who lie) want/wanted to defund the police. Period. Now they lie about it.
Because shameless leftist mob-holes are lying liars who lie.
( After saint Floyd doped up on fentanyl died and made the media the left and the Soros Mob promote billions in property damage. )

Now the lying liars who lie are starting to deny they ever openly stated they want to Defund the Police. We have the receipts - leftist lying liars who lie(D).

City of Berkeley Approves Police Defunding Plan


Here are the leftist lunatics who want to defund and criminalize the police.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

The officer ran towards gun shots. That police officer deserves a medal, a promotion, and a parade.

Instead he got a Soros DA.

We need police officers like that guarding our precious children - in every school across the nation.

F the Soros Antifa-Nazi left.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Tina Trent said...

Even in Texas, they had to put this hero cop in front of a Grand Jury. Any cop shooting requires one -- but not any time someone shoots a cop. They are also concealing his identity, probably for his protection from Marxist lunatics. And why are they requesting a review from the IACP (the cop-hating International Association of Chiefs of Police)? IACP is a bunch of politically connected Chiefs from leftist cities whose main behavior is to butter their own bread and throw their subordinates under the bus.

Once, this hero cop would have been given a public thanks and commendation for his bravery. But Allen, Texas is just a few miles from Dallas, remember, and cops get slaughtered for being cops in Dallas. Then President Obama shows up at their funeral, calls them racist, and sympathizes with their murderer.

I'd support a law allowing anti-cop activists (and the actors and billionaires who fund them) to opt out of being allowed to use 911 to call for help from the police. Fire and rescue workers can usually make their own decisions about responding in a no-cop zone without police back-up. If folks don't want one, they might not get the other.

The Drill SGT said...

'Chest Rockwell said...
Why would he even be investigated by a grand jury? In Texas of all places?'

I think this is often standard behavior in police related shootings.

- the DA can say to the community: "one set of rules for everybody"
- to the police the DA has to deal with, "I did not indict"
- the DA can tune the GJ
- but in fact few Texas GJ will indict a reasonable shooting, much less a heroic event like this
- in the aftermath of Uvalde, the State, Police and community needs a few more of these heros

Rusty said...

Randomizer said...
Blogger rhhardin said...

"He seems to be seriously out of shape.

This guy went from passing out safety stickers to a combat situation in a few seconds. The intense stress of the situation surely increased his breathing as he jogged along in whatever gear he was wearing. He kept his head as he continued to feed information to the dispatcher.

Smart and courageous, that cop did an admirable job."

The guy went from 0 to full adrenaline in half a heartbeat. Of course he's hyperventilating. Thinking on his feet the whole time. Respect.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

Biden - Supreme Crook Leader and lying liar who lies - says that it's Republicans who want to defund the police - because they won't sign-on on to his Deficit spending BS. Yeah - that's how our mob-crook leadership rolls(D).
Embarrassing. Maddow and the on-air talent at MicroSoft NBC pimp that lie.

jim said...

"Instead he got a Soros DA" The Collin county DA is a republican.

I'm sure having to go before a grand jury was not nice and caused some sleepless nights, but it does not seem unusual. And then they said it he was justified.

A Soros republican? Must be cool to just make stuff up and wait for it (maybe) to become accepted fact in your own little universe.

Are you now going to tell us about the armies of "left" on twitter calling for the cop's head?

Mountain Maven said...

Who need tv and movies with videos like this. Very dramatic and moving.

hombre said...

"...cleared by a grand jury ...."

A self-respecting DA would have independently cleared this officer. Taking this to a grand jury sends a message to the police about the polital cowardice of the prosecutor.

Richard said...

Try shouting when you are strenuously exercising and see what happens. The air you need for speaking is being used by your muscles. Therefore, you need to take additional breaths to speak, which makes it sound like you are out of breath.

Richard said...

We know that DAs have total discretion when it comes to charging a person with a crime. Once one reviews the body cam footage it is obvious that the policeman did the right thing. Therefore, the DA should not have presented it to a grand jury. Was he really unable to trust his own judgement in this case? Was he afraid that he would be criticized for not doing so? Lucky the policeman was not afraid to act.

Leland said...

I don't think he's breathing that hard. Althouse has it right, he sounds like he is breathing hard because of wear the mic is. You try taking that shot with an AR-15, after running a couple of football fields, with tactical vest, side arm, the AR-15, radio, body camera, and other gear, while communicating with people around you and on the radio. If he was breathing hard, his shots would have been all over the place.

mikee said...

Re the Grand Jury: All homicides in Texas no matter how justified are presented to a Grand Jury as part of the official review of the death. No-billing, after presentation of evidence only by a prosecutor, means there is no criminal behavior found, i.e., a legal killing of another person.


dws said...

The anti-Uvalde.

We collectively depend on such people to defend civilization.

Big Mike said...

If he was breathing hard, his shots would have been all over the place.

+ 1

rsbsail said...

To be fair, there are a lot of people who have extensive experience running towards gunfire. They know that they’ve never been winded, all the while leaping 10 foot tall fences, carrying 100 lbs of gear, and killing endless numbers of bad guys playing Call of Duty or some other shoot ‘‘em up game. All on X box.

So, sure, they know a lot.

Ampersand said...

In many jurisdictions, all police shootings resulting in death or serious injuries must be submitted to the grand jury. That may be the reason for these gj proceedings.

Lars Porsena said...

Blogger rhhardin said...
He seems to be seriously out of shape.

6/29/23, 7:22 AM
-----------------------------------------
I noticed that too but then I thought about the ridiculous amount of gear the modern police officer must carry these days. Almost the same load as an infantry man.

Louise B said...

I think the person who wrote that typo could be sued for defamation of character by the officer. Shooting and shouting are two vastly different things, and if there isn't a correction appended t the article about the mistake, then the writer doesn't want to change it. Defamation and time for a lawsuit.