A San Antonio police officer who shot an unarmed teenager several times in a McDonald’s had tried to pass him the night before, according to police files.
Rookie cop James Brennand, 25, shot and killed 17-year-old Erik Cantu on October 2 while he was eating fast food in his car with a female companion in Texas.
It comes after exclusively revealed Brennand, 25, handcuffed the seriously wounded teenager as she gasped for air.
The now former police officer was arrested on two counts of aggravated assault on Oct. 11, but was an officer but was released the next day on $200,000 bail.
Cantu was rushed to hospital in critical condition, where he remains after multiple surgeries – and his parents remain hopeful he will be transferred from intensive care soon.
New police reports have revealed that Brennand came into contact with Cantu the night before the horror shooting in the same maroon BMW he drove the following night.
However, officials have declined to reveal the reason Brennand approached the teenager.
Rookie cop James Brennand shot and killed 17-year-old Erik Cantu on October 2 while he was eating fast food in his car with a female companion in Texas.
Brennand pulled up behind Cantu at approximately 8:45 p.m. on October 1 and activated his emergency lights before the car sped away and moved to the left
Bodycam footage from the Oct. 2 shooting shows Brennand firing a total of 10 shots at Cantu, who was eating McDonald’s at the time, after suspecting him of stealing the car
Cantu was rushed to hospital in critical condition, where he remains after multiple surgeries – and his parents remain hopeful he will be transferred from intensive care soon
Brennand pulled up behind Cantu at approximately 8:45 p.m. on October 1 and activated his emergency lights before the car sped away and moved to the left.
He was arrested on Oct. 11 on two counts of aggravated assault, but was an officer but was released on $200,000 bail
The officer did not give chase, but found that the vehicle’s license plates went back to another car.
According to KSAT, San Antonio Assistant City Attorney James Kopps tried to keep the public records under wraps.
In a statement to officers, Cantu’s teenage passenger said she was keen to get back in his car the following evening after becoming “upset” by his actions.
She said she told Erik she didn’t want to be “arrested or shot at” because of him, but eventually allowed him to pick her up at a friend’s house.
Brennand suspected the car was stolen and demanded that Cantu get out – with the teenager trying to put his car into reverse.
But the door caught Brennand, who quickly shot the driver’s side of the vehicle five times, wounding Cantu.
Brennand handcuffed Cantu after he opened fire and while the teen gasped on the sidewalk
In an update posted to his GoFundMe page, his parents thanked God for “all his miracles” as they shared footage of their son’s intensive care room
When he was growing up, his parents revealed that Cantu actually wanted to be a police officer
Cantu tried to drive further away, but Brennand kept firing, firing a total of 10 shots, four or five of which hit the teenager in the liver, diaphragm, biceps, chest and stomach.
Graphic body worn footage of the incident shows Cantu being shot dead as Brennand handcuffed him while he was critically injured.
Brennand, a probationary officer with seven months’ experience, was fired from his job on October 4 and will not be able to rejoin even if he is acquitted. He will appear in court on November 23.
Prosecutors dismissed the criminal charges against Cantu so that his family could be by his side while he recovered in the hospital.
At a press conference earlier this month, Cantu’s parents demanded that Brennand be charged with attempted murder, claiming it was a “racist” attack.
They allege Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales told them Brennand assumed their son was a suspect because he was “a Hispanic kid with a bowl-shaped haircut.”
In an update posted to his GoFundMe page, his parents thanked God for “all his miracles” as they shared footage of their son’s intensive care room.
At a news conference, Cantu’s parents announced they were considering filing a civil lawsuit against the former officer, as well as the entire city of San Antonio
According to his LinkedIn page, Brennand previously served in the US Army as a military dog handler. He entered in 2016. Brennand was stationed outside of Seattle
Crump alleges that Brennand violated Cantu’s Fourth Amendment rights by assuming Cantu stole the vehicle he was driving. He comforts Casarez at Tuesday’s press conference
In an interview with Good Morning America on Wednesday, Eric Cantu Sr., the father of 17-year-old police shooting victim Erik Cantu, claimed that the shooting must have been racially motivated
They added that they had “lost” the number of surgeries he had and the teenager has now spent 31 days in hospital in critical condition.
Famed civil rights attorney Ben Crump alleges that Brennand violated Cantu’s Fourth Amendment rights by assuming Cantu stole the vehicle he was driving.
“That’s it,” Crump said. “That’s why we’re here. That’s why [Brennand] shot 10 times.’
The family also announced that there are more bodycam footage that is not publicly available and are calling for Brennand’s bail to be released.
San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said he believes “no one watching this video questions that the shooting is unjustified” and that the bodycam footage is “terrible” to watch.