“Ensuring he kept his hands visible through his rear windshield, John slowly pulled the vehicle to the shoulder.
The police officer slowly exited the vehicle with his hand on his weapon.
The officer approached the vehicle and touched the trunk of the car before proceeding to the driver’s door.
‘License and registration,’ he stated gruffly.
John looked the officer’s name and badge number: Brady 293034.
‘My license and registration is in the glove compartment,’ John started, ‘but I do have to inform you that I have my concealed carry license, and there is a firearm in the vehicle.’
Officer Brady raised his eyebrows.
‘Alright, do me a favor, keep your hands on the steering wheel for a moment,’ he instructed.
John follow the instruction.
‘Yes sir.’
Officer Brady took a step back and called for backup over his radio.
‘Shit,’ John whispered to himself as he thought about the potential outcomes.
’10-4. 95 Southbound.’
Officer Brady returned his radio to his shoulder and approached the vehicle once again, but had his weapon drawn.
‘Where is the weapon, sir?’ Officer Brady asked.
‘It is located in the glove compartment,’ John spoke with a slight move.
‘Don’t reach for it!’ Brady warned.
‘I wasn’t trying to,’ John assured him; fear was in his voice. ‘My apologies.’
‘What I’m going to need for you to do is step out of the vehicle for me,’ Brady opened the door. ‘Keep your hands where I can see them.’
‘Officer, you don’t need to have your weapon out,’ John spoke as he exited the vehicle.
‘This is for my safety and yours,’ Brady informed him. ‘If everything checks out, everyone goes home safely.’
John looked at the gun and noticed the safety wasn’t on, which let him know that at any moment, Brady could pull the trigger and end his life: and he knew how the story went: Brady would cry that he feared for his life and the case would be closed.
‘Officer Brady, I don’t feel safe with your weapon drawn. I am not presenting a threat to you and I’ve followed protocol in terms of informing you about my concealed carry license and my firearm and the location.’
John walked away from his vehicle with his hands up.
Officer Brady returned his weapon to the holster, but never secured it.
‘I’m going to pat you down and then have you wait while I retrieve your firearm and information.’
John leaned on the car and kept his hands up; Brady patted John down.
‘Stay here,’ he spoke as he finished.
Brady walked around to the passenger side of the vehicle and opened the door. He opened the glove compartment and saw the FOID card, the concealed carry license, John’s driver license, his registration, and the firearm.
Brady removed the firearm from the compartment and put it on the hood of the vehicle.
‘Step around here for me,’ he announced to John.
John obeyed and ensured his hands remained visible.
‘Smith and Wesson M&P,’ Brady started. ‘That’s a good one,’ he lightly laughed, ‘but the issue here is that this is a fully loaded weapon.’
John didn’t say anything. He just wanted for Brady to let him go.
‘You want to tell me why this is a fully loaded weapon?’ Brady raised his tone.
‘I keep it for protection. That’s why I got my concealed carry license and I keep it in the vehicle.’
Brady grabbed John’s arm and put him face-down on the hood of the vehicle.
‘Fuck,’ John stated.
‘Look at this weapon and tell me why the hell it’s loaded.’
Brady adjusted John on the hood.
‘I have a damn license to carry,’ John reiterated. ‘You have it out, right beside the weapon.’
Brady lifted John slightly, and slammed him on the hood again.
‘This license doesn’t mean shit,’ Brady spoke. ‘I’m fearing for my life right now,’ he chuckled. ‘I’m going to have to take you in.’
‘For what?’ John asked. ‘This is some bullshit.’
John’s anger overtook the fear he was feeling.
Officer Brady lifted John and turned him around to face him.
‘Your kind doesn’t need this kind of protection,’ Brady uttered.
He quickly turned John back around and slammed him on the hood.
He saw Officer Brady move his hand towards his utility belt, and feared he was reaching for his weapon.
Without thinking, John used his left hand to reach and he grabbed his gun.
‘Gun, gun, gun!’ Officer Brady shouted over the radio as he began to draw his weapon from his unsecured holster.
As soon as he grabbed the gun, John turned around and shot Officer Brady in the chest, twice.
Officer Brady fell to the ground as the backup police cars arrived on the scene.
‘Let me see your hands,’ an officer shouted as he exited the vehicle.
‘Drop the weapon,’ another officer yelled.
Both officers had their weapons drawn.
More officers exited their vehicles with their weapons drawn as more arrived in what seemed to be an instant.
John looked at the officers and dropped his gun to the ground. He instantly raised his hands.
The officers were shouting instructions, but they were drained by John’s thoughts and recollection of the days events:
He woke up and decided to scratch off his lottery tickets; he’d won $5,000. He’d just gotten a promotion at work, which would increase his annual salary by 10% and included a small trip for two to Italy. He was so excited that he called his wife to inform her of the good news, which is when she informed him that he was going to be a father. They’d planned a dinner and movie night after work, so he was headed home to see her.
But now, he was staring down the barrel of multiple police handguns for shooting and killing an officer.
He heard it all the time: officers would abuse their power and shoot and kill innocent people after fearing for their lives.
But who would ever listen to the narrative that a Black man killed a White cop after fearing for his life… that’s blasphemy.
