Video footage released on Thursday by an Arizona police department sheds new light on a police-involved shooting that left a woman wounded and facing charges.
According to The Arizona Republic, the incident occurred July 7 in Mesa, when an officer in a “fully marked” patrol car was being followed by a white SUV. When the patrol car reached the gates of the department’s headquarters, the SUV rammed it from behind and pushed it through.
According to the newspaper, Mesa police Detective Brandi George said the patrol car was struck while entering a gate of a secured parking lot just after 9 p.m.
“The officer got out of his vehicle, and this is when the officer-involved shooting occurred,” George said.
After the officer’s vehicle was pushed several feet into the parking lot, the officer opened the door and rolled out of the vehicle, drew his service pistol and opened fire on the vehicle’s driver, wounding her.
The officer then instructed a nearby crime scene specialist to take cover, Detective George explained in the video.
According to George, the driver of the vehicle, identified as 39-year-old Taneysha Shari Carter, exited the driver’s side door and began to run back toward the closed gate. At this time the officer opened fire again and Carter dropped to the ground, rolling toward the gate on her side as backup officers arrived.
Social media reaction to the video’s release ranged from praise for the officer to criticism of his tactics.
#Mesa #Arizona
This is nuts
—
A woman in a SUV followed a police cruiser for several blocks until the officer became suspicious and rerouted to Police HQ. Upon opening the HQ gate, the SUV rammed the police cruiser. The officer barrel-rolled out of the moving car and fired shots. pic.twitter.com/VFjG3xrT7P— Shane B. Murphy (@shanermurph) August 27, 2022
“He did the right thing, good job,” one user wrote.
He did the right thing good job.
— wonder women (@VAucella) August 27, 2022
However, former Spartanburg, South Carolina, police officer, SWAT team member and Navy veteran Cody Garrett, who runs the YouTube Channel: Donut Operator focusing on educational police content, was critical of the officer’s tactics.
WARNING: The following post contains language that some viewers may find disturbing.
That cop is a whole ass idiot
— Donut Operator ? (@DonutOperator) August 27, 2022
Garrett’s channel prominently features breakdowns of police actions and officer-involved shootings, so The Western Journal reached out to ask him for his considerable professional opinion based on his years of experience.
Garrett responded via Twitter message, “He bailed out of the only protection he had, WHILE IT WAS MOVING, to no cover where he could have been ran over by his own car, suspects car, or shot. Literally anything else would have been better tactics.”
According to George, Carter was then taken into custody, treated for a single gunshot wound and taken to a nearby hospital.
George said she faces charges of aggravated assault with a dangerous instrument (her vehicle) and third-degree criminal trespass.
Court documents reported by KTVK-TV provided an insight into the suspect’s state of mind.
Do you think the officer’s actions were warranted?
“Carter told investigators she believes law enforcement, the military and a group she referred to as the Illuminati are trying to kill her,” the station reported. “She claims she was trying to get the officer’s attention to tell him this information. Carter also said she thought the officer knew who she was.”
Court documents also stated Mesa police detained Carter in 2020 for mental health reasons.
KTVK noted her prior convictions for drug and shoplifting charges.
It is unknown at this time if the officer will be disciplined or charged in relation to the incident. However, KTVK reported he sustained minor scrapes and cuts on his elbows, hands and knees.
George noted that “all information and evidence in this case will be turned over to the Maricopa County attorney’s office for review.”
