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Sean Groubert, 31, former South Carolina state trooper who shot an unarmed man has been arrested and is facing a charge of assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature.
Meanwhile, the video of that encounter has been shown in public for the first time.
The newly-released footage shows Groubert’s vehicle pulling up behind 35-year-old Levar Jones outside a convenience store in Columbia on 4 September.
The trooper can be heard asking the man for his licence, but as Mr Jones turned to reach back into his vehicle, Groubert yelled, “Get out of the car!” and instantly began firing his weapon.
At least four shots were fired before Mr Jones – his hands raised in the air – fell to the pavement with a bullet wound to his hip.
“I just got my licence! You said get my licence!” Mr Jones is heard saying.
He then asked the trooper why he shot him, to which Groubert responded: “You dove head first back into your car.”
Groubert, who said he stopped Mr Jones for a “seatbelt violation”, is charged with assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature. His bond was set at $75,000.
Leroy Smith, the director of the South Carolina Department of Public Safety, said the “force administered in this case was unwarranted, inconsistent with how our troopers are trained, and clearly in violation of department policies”.
Mr Jones was expected to make a full recovery.
It is the latest incident in the US that has fuelled debate over police tactics.
Last month, 18-year-old Michael Brown was fatally shot by Ferguson, Missouri, police officer Darren Wilson.
His death sparked several days of unrest in the St Louis suburb, and prompted an investigation by the Justice Department.
In New York, a grand jury is being called to investigate the death of Eric Garner, who died after an NYPD officer put him in an apparent chokehold as he appeared to resist arrest.
Agencies/Canadajournal
