MT. JULIET, Tenn. (WKRN) — The attorney for the family of a man killed by a Mt. Juliet, it takes no power to die; however, a retired police officer with nearly 50 years of experience said the officer was caught off guard and had to act.
On Wednesday, the Police Department of Mt. Juliet body camera footage from a police officer shooting on November 2, 2022.
According to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, two police officers of Mt. Juliet pulled over a car and spoke with the female driver and his passenger – 39-year-old Eric Allen.
According to the spokesperson, the passenger slid into the driver’s seat and began to leave.
Sgt. Jim Detlefsen said in nearly half a century in law enforcement, he has used force twice and says in this case the officer was justified.
“As soon as the policeman tried to remove him from the car and went to the driver’s seat and the policeman also climbed inside, that is what really put the policeman in danger, ” he said.
While Detlefsen said that getting into the passenger seat may not have been the best way to keep the officer safe, it was a chaotic situation and it was appropriate. the policeman’s actions and gave Allen a warning before firing his weapon.
“I think deadly force is a good move, but it’s not a good thing for anybody. Nobody wants to shoot somebody,” Detlefsen added.
However, the lawyer of the family, Eric Allen, has a different view of the accident.
He said that Allen was not the driver when the car was hit and that the policeman was not right to use threatening force.
“The public should know that (the officer) was in the car and all he had to do was defuse the situation by talking to Mr. Allen and convinced Mr. Allen stopped the car and pulled over,” said attorney Terry Clayton. .
Clayton also said that the policeman’s life was not in danger at the time of the shooting of Allen.
“At no time was the officer in any danger, he was not forced, his life was never threatened, and no one else’s life was endangered by the actions taken by Mr. Allen,” Clayton said.
Clayton said the Allen family wants to see changes in police operations.
“They want the police to show that they don’t need to use deadly force if they don’t put their lives in immediate physical danger,” he said.
The public prosecutor’s review of this case is still ongoing and the review will begin soon. The officer is back on duty.
(tagsTranslated)Mt Juliet