Video: In-Car Camera Captures TX Officer's Shoot-Don't Shoot Decision at End of Pursuit
"He got out, put his hands out like he had a gun and started yelling, 'I'm going to shoot you, I'm going to shoot you,” said veteran officer Jeff Payne. “My first thought was, 'Oh crap, I'm about to get shot.'"
A dramatic police video captures the moment a Grand Prairie, TX, officer had to make a life-and-death decision: to shoot or not to shoot?
The video shows the end of a police chase in a Grand Prairie neighborhood about two weeks ago.
The driver of a pickup truck suddenly pulled into someone’s driveway and jumped out into a shooting position.
"He got out, put his hands out like he had a gun and started yelling, 'I'm going to shoot you, I'm going to shoot you,” said veteran officer Jeff Payne. “My first thought was, 'Oh crap, I'm about to get shot.'"
In a fraction of a second, Payne took a careful look, and even though it was dark, he could tell the man didn't actually have a gun.
"Honestly, I think I almost killed that guy. If it hadn't been for that split second, I probably would have," Payne told NBC DFW.
Instead of shooting, Payne unleashed his K-9 partner, Jurek.
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