SAN ANTONIO – Monday marked 12 months since former San Antonio Police officer James Brennand shot then-17-year-old Erik Cantu in a McDonald’s parking lot and whilst there were a lot of updates for the reason that taking pictures, an ordeal date for the former officer has nonetheless now not been set.
The taking pictures on Oct. 2, 2022, garnered consideration from nationwide media shops and resulted in Brennand’s firing. At the time, Brennand was once a probationary officer who were at the drive for about seven months. He was once fired for violating departmental techniques and procedures days after the taking pictures, SAPD officers in the past stated.
Three days after the taking pictures, SAPD launched parts of body-worn digicam pictures that confirmed Brennand firing more than one rounds right into a automobile the place Cantu and his then-17-year-old feminine pal Emily Proulx have been consuming.
Brennand stated he known the automobile as the similar one who “fled from [him] the other day.”
SAPD data considered by means of Investigates confirmed that Cantu’s automobile had kept away from Brennand the night time prior to and that {the teenager} was once using the similar maroon BMW sedan right through each incidents — when he was once accused of evading Brennand on Oct. 1, and once more when Brennand shot Cantu after he attempted to escape the officer a moment time.
Footage of the incident displays that Brennand didn’t announce himself as an officer prior to opening the door of Cantu’s automobile.
Brennand, who suspected that the automobile was once stolen and referred to as for protection, opened the automobile door and ordered Cantu to “get out of the car” prior to making an attempt to bodily take away {the teenager} from the automobile.
Cantu was once then noticed placing the automobile in opposite when the open vehicle door allegedly hit Brennand, who then fired pictures into the automobile with Cantu and Proulx nonetheless inside of.
Video pictures then displays Brennand firing extra pictures into the again of the automobile as Cantu put the automobile in pressure and pulled out of the parking lot.
According to Eric Cantu, Erik Cantu’s father, further video, which has now not but been made public, displays Erik exclaiming, “I’ve been shot.” Eric Cantu stated the video displays Brennand replying, “Yes you have, because I shot you.”
“No humanity behind his voice,” Eric Cantu stated in a press convention ultimate 12 months. “He dropped him off at the University Hospital and told his sergeant ‘oh he’ll be fine, he’s going to be ok,’ not knowing what he did to him.”
Victoria Casarez, Cantu’s mom, stated probably the most painful issues she noticed in the extra video was once her son calling out pronouncing, “I want my mom,” after he was once shot.
San Antonio Police Chief William McManus in the past stated “There is no question in anybody’s mind looking at that video that the shooting is not justified.”
asked further video from Brennand’s digicam and different officials, in addition to the police file, beneath the Texas Public Information Act, on Oct. 25 and 27, 2022. In reaction, James Kopp, assistant town legal professional for San Antonio, despatched a letter to the Texas Attorney General asking whether or not the town can stay the general public data non-public beneath an exception in the state legislation.
The Texas Attorney General has the authority to make a decision whether or not information may also be saved non-public in line with its interpretation of the legislation. The AG in a ruling allowed the town to withhold the extra asked pictures.
On Oct. 11, 2022, greater than every week after the taking pictures, Brennand was once charged with two counts of annoyed attack by means of a public servant and later indicted on the ones fees in addition to at least one rely of tried homicide. Aggravated attack by means of a public servant is a first-degree prison with a variety of punishment between 5 years and lifestyles in jail and tried homicide is a second-degree prison with a punishment vary of 2-Two decades in jail.
He surrendered to the Bexar County Jail and was once launched on a $200,000 bond.
Cantu sustained accidents to his abdomen, diaphragm, lungs, liver, bicep and forearm after he was once shot by means of Brennand. Cantu was once on lifestyles make stronger for quite a lot of weeks following the taking pictures and his folks published that Cantu needed to go through a tracheotomy.
At the time, Casarez stated her son nonetheless had a bullet lodged close to his center and stated medical doctors advised her it could do extra hurt than just right to take away it. It’s unclear if that’s nonetheless the case.
Cantu was once launched from the health center on Nov. 22, 2022.
Cantu was once at the beginning charged with evading arrest with a automobile and annoyed attack with a dangerous weapon after making an attempt to escape on Oct. 2 however the ones fees have been later pushed aside.
After the taking pictures, Proulx advised investigators that she was once hesitant to trip with Cantu on Oct. 2 as a result of his movements the night time prior to when he fled police the primary time.
She advised police that right through the Oct. 1 incident, Cantu dismissed the “emergency lights and ‘sped off’” after an officer tried to drag over Cantu whilst they drove alongside a North Side freeway, now not a long way from the McDonald’s. “Erik may have just not wanted to ‘deal’ with ‘cops,’” she stated in the file.
SAPD in-car digicam data, referred to as COBAN, display Brennand encountering a maroon BMW sedan on Oct. 1 round 8:45 p.m. in the realm of U.S. Hwy. 281 and Bitters Road. Brennand pulled up in the back of the automobile after which activated his emergency lighting fixtures, at which level the BMW speeded up and moved to the left, in entrance of any other automobile prior to using onto the on-ramp for Highway 281, pictures considered by means of Investigates confirmed.
Brennand didn’t have interaction in a pursuit however later documented that the BMW’s license plates got here again to any other automobile. SAPD later showed that the license plates didn’t belong to the automobile Cantu was once running however mentioned that the automobile was once now not stolen.
Both Cantu and Proulx retained famed civil rights legal professional Ben Crump following the taking pictures. Co-counsels Bob Hillard and Paul Grinke also are representing Proulx and Cantu.
Crump is a well known legal professional who specializes in wrongful loss of life complaints and has been employed to paintings on high-profile circumstances together with Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor.
In an unrelated incident on June 28, 2023, each Cantu and Proulx have been arrested and charged with robbery. San Antonio police answered to a Wal-Mart in the 8500 block of Jones Maltsberger, close to Loop 410, for a file of things being stolen from its automobile segment. The pieces integrated a vehicle charger and air freshener and have been hid in a handbag, consistent with charging data bought by means of Investigates.
Nearly two months afterward Aug. 21, 2023, Brennand, Cantu and Proulx have been in combination once more — this time in a court the place the teenagers sat in on a listening to for Brennand.
It was once Brennand’s 3rd courtroom listening to for the taking pictures, however the first since Cantu and Proulx have been arrested on robbery fees.
Court records display Cantu’s subsequent courtroom date for the robbery case is scheduled for November.
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