Dashcam video shows the moment a South Carolina police officer shot an elderly man who reached for his cane in the back of his pickup truck during a routine traffic stop Tuesday night.
Luckily, 70-year-old Bobby Canipe is expected to survive.
The video shows York County Sheriff's Deputy Terrance Knox, 24, stop Canipe over an expired registration. After he pulls to the side of the road, Canipe is seen getting out of the driver's side of the truck, reaching into the truck bed and pulling out what Knox believed to be a weapon.
Knox can be heard yelling 'sir' several times before opening fire. But Canipe continued to reach in the back of the truck. When he pulled out his cane, Knox fired several live rounds in Canipe's direction, striking him once in the stomach area.
Almost immediately following the shooting, Knox appears to have realized that he shot an unarmed man and rushed to give him aid.
A spokesman for the Sheriff's Office said Knox simply reacted to what he thought was a real threat.
'It does appear at this time that Deputy Knox's actions were an appropriate response to what he reasonably believed to be an imminent threat to his life,' spokesman Trent Faris told WSOCTV.
Friends of Canipe tell the station that he is a disabled Vietnam veteran and is very active with his local VFW.
One friend said it would be typical of Canipe to get out and meet with an officer who was pulling him over, rather than wait in his vehicle.
Faris says the Sheriff's Office already has reached out to Canipe's family and is told he is expected to recover.
A man who drove by after the shooting says Deputy Knox was doing everything he could to help Canipe after realizing he'd made a mistake.
'The officer that had to do the shooting, he was really freaked out about it. He was screaming on the radio about needing help,' witness Joe Ashwell said.
According to the station, this is the ninth officer-involved shooting so far this year in South Carolina.
Knox is on administrative leave from the Sheriff's Office as authorities investigate the shooting.
The officer, witnesses say, was badly shaken by the unfortunate incident.
Luckily, 70-year-old Bobby Canipe is expected to survive.
The video shows York County Sheriff's Deputy Terrance Knox, 24, stop Canipe over an expired registration. After he pulls to the side of the road, Canipe is seen getting out of the driver's side of the truck, reaching into the truck bed and pulling out what Knox believed to be a weapon.
Knox can be heard yelling 'sir' several times before opening fire. But Canipe continued to reach in the back of the truck. When he pulled out his cane, Knox fired several live rounds in Canipe's direction, striking him once in the stomach area.
Almost immediately following the shooting, Knox appears to have realized that he shot an unarmed man and rushed to give him aid.
A spokesman for the Sheriff's Office said Knox simply reacted to what he thought was a real threat.
'It does appear at this time that Deputy Knox's actions were an appropriate response to what he reasonably believed to be an imminent threat to his life,' spokesman Trent Faris told WSOCTV.
Friends of Canipe tell the station that he is a disabled Vietnam veteran and is very active with his local VFW.
One friend said it would be typical of Canipe to get out and meet with an officer who was pulling him over, rather than wait in his vehicle.
Faris says the Sheriff's Office already has reached out to Canipe's family and is told he is expected to recover.
A man who drove by after the shooting says Deputy Knox was doing everything he could to help Canipe after realizing he'd made a mistake.
'The officer that had to do the shooting, he was really freaked out about it. He was screaming on the radio about needing help,' witness Joe Ashwell said.
According to the station, this is the ninth officer-involved shooting so far this year in South Carolina.
Knox is on administrative leave from the Sheriff's Office as authorities investigate the shooting.
The officer, witnesses say, was badly shaken by the unfortunate incident.
Source : SkyNews, DailyMail
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