OVERKILL IS A GROSS UNDERSTATEMENT IN TEXAS POLICE SHOOTING

41 shots by one officer? Holy shit! That makes ‘Go Ahead, Make My Day!’ Dirty Harry look like Pee-wee Herman.

GARLAND OFFICER FIRED 41 SHOTS IN CHASE THAT ENDED WITH SUSPECT DEAD IN MESQUITE
By Matt Peterson

The Dallas Morning News
September 11, 2012

An investigation by Garland police has determined that a single officer fired upwards of 41 shots during the Aug. 31 chase and confrontation that killed 25-year-old Michael Vincent Allen.

His fellow officers didn’t fire a shot, according to investigators.

The report also found that the suspect did not first ram the police officer’s car as originally reported and the opposite may have occurred.

The pursuit began shortly after midnight when police spotted a white GMC pickup driven by Michael Vincent Allen, 25, of Wylie that had been involved in an earlier chase, last week in Sachse.

Officers tried to stop Allen at First Street and Avenue B, but the 25-year-old suspect fled. Dallas County sheriff’s deputies joined the chase when the man crossed into Mesquite.

After a 30-minute pursuit in which speeds reached up to 100 mph, the suspect turned into a cul-de-sac in the 3000 block of Monarch Court.

Police say [as originally reported] the suspect made a U-turn and, in the process, struck a squad car as officers tried to box him in. Fearing for the officers’ safety, the eight-year veteran opened fire, according to Mesquite police Lt. Bill Hedgpeth.

The suspect was shot and killed. A 20-year-old woman in the pickup with him was uninjured.

Allen has a criminal history that includes possession of a controlled substance and another instance of evading arrest.

The officer involved was originally placed on routine administrative leave, but that has been elevated to extended leave with restricted-duty status. The name of the officer has not been released.

Mesquite police is conducting a criminal investigation into the incident and will submit its findings to Dallas County district attorney.

Garland police will continue its internal investigation to determine if the officer involved “was in compliance with applicable departmental general orders.”