The Lafayette Police Department of Indiana released body cam footage today showing an officer accidentally shooting a female officer in the back as they attempted to serve a warrant earlier this week.
The shooting has since been determined “accidental” by the police review board, according to theindychannel.com.
Video shows officer Aaron Wright shooting fellow officer Lane Butler in the back after a dog broke out of its cage and charged towards them.
As officers Wright and Butler attempted to rush out of the house away from the dog, Wright’s hand apparently hits the door and discharges his gun, striking officer Butler in the back.
Officer Kurt Sink’s body cam shows the bullet go through the door.
“From the moment the dog began to force its way out of the cage, the officers were faced with just a few options in fractions of a second,” Lafayette Police Chief Patrick Flannelly said after viewing the videos.
Chief Flannelly says officer Wright never meant to discharge his gun.
“When we asked him he flat out said he had no intention of shooting the dog,” he said.
“Officer Wright, from the moment on scene, he took full responsibility and was devastated by the unintentional discharge of his firearm.”
Flannelly said the footage shows accidents can unfold in a fraction of a second and didn’t personally fault officer Wright, who is expected to return to active duty next week.
The suspect for which the officers were serving a warrant was not apprehended, but does not pose an immediate threat to the public, according to the Journal & Courier.
Watch the full-length video, from two different angles, below.
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