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| Scene of shooting at Springfield Walmart (source) |
(UPDATED - See below)
A Springfield, Missouri police officer responded to the parking lot of a local Walmart Neighborhood Market for a report of a wanted man. He confronted the man, Eric David Butts, 26, and gave chase, firing at Butts and hitting him.
From an article and news video:
According to a Springfield Police Department spokeswoman, the man has been identified as Eric David Butts, 26, of Springfield. Butts is on probation and parole for burglary. He also has a second-degree felony burglary warrant from Greene County and a municipal traffic warrant from Springfield.
Butts is in police custody while being treated at the hospital for the gunshot wound. ....
Turns out, according to police, that the veteran officer was originally responding to an anonymous 911 call about a panhandler. The caller said they knew the panhandler and believed he was wanted for warrants.
"The officer arrived on scene shortly thereafter and made contact with the individual and the individual ran," says Major Kirk Manlove with the Springfield Police Department. "The officer discharged his weapon. At this point, we are treating this as an officer involved shooting."
It's still not clear why the shot was fired.Walmart. Save money. Die faster.
UPDATE (5/13/14): According to an article: the man who was shot, Butts, was unarmed. He also suffered from mental illnesses. The officer is named Jason Shuck. Butts was wounded in the buttocks and intestines. and is in stable condition.
UPDATE (7/11/14): The officer, Jason Shuck, claims that he had intended to fire his taser gun, but instead reached for and fired his Glock handgun by mistake. He has been charged with misdemeanor third-degree assault. From an article:
"The best explanation that I have is that my ... brain was saying Taser and ... but my body moved faster than my brain," Shuck told an investigator, according to the probable cause statement filed in Greene County Circuit Court.
Police Chief Paul Williams said Shuck remains an employee of the Springfield Police Department on paid administrative leave. Williams said Shuck, like any officer according to policy, might remain on the force even if he is convicted of the misdemeanor.
Williams said he has not made a final decision about Shuck's employment. ....
"Officer Shuck yelled for Butts to stop running at that time and received no response," according to the statement. "Officer Shuck then pulled the trigger and heard the loud report of a gunshot."
Butts told police that Shuck apologized after the shooting.
"I'm sorry Butts, I thought I reached for my Taser," Shuck told him, according to the probable cause statement. "…I didn't know that I reached for my gun, I thought I had my Taser."
An article describes the pain and injuries sustained by the shooting victim, Butts, who now has to have a colostomy bag due to intestinal injuries from the shooting.UPDATE (9/1/14): The officer, Shuck, has accepted a plea deal that removes him from the police force, removes him from jobs that require a firearm, and charges him with a misdemeanor.
UPDATE (10/2/14): The City of Springfield agreed to pay the victim, Butts, $700,000 to avoid a lawsuit.
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