Pistol-whipped cop: I hesitated to shoot

An Alabama police detective who was beaten with his own gun says he didn’t shoot his attacker because he was afraid of the media backlash.

Details on how the attacker was able to retrieve the gun from the six-year veteran and knocking him unconscious are still sketchy, however, the detective said out of fear of being the latest officer in the headline, he didn’t use force. He said, “A lot of officers are being too cautious because of what’s going on in the media”.

Birmingham Police Sgt. Heath Boackle, who is also president of the city’s Fraternal Order of Police, agreed, saying the officer “could be dead right now” because of the hesitation caused by media coverage.

The detective chose not to engage or follow policy to try to get the man back into his vehicle because of how police officers have been portrayed in the media lately.

In Alabama, the pistol-whipped detective was taken to hospital for treatment in the wake of the attack, but is now believed to be recovering at home and has not yet returned to active duty.

There’s no small amount of irony in CNN reporting this story, and the attack’s callous aftermath, which saw sick criminal supporters take mocking photos of the unconscious officer instead of attempting to help him. Roper said, “The nobility and integrity of policing has been challenged”. “As a profession, we have allowed popular culture to draft a narrative which is contrary to the awesome work that so many officers are doing everyday across this nation”. And according to CNN, a possible motive for the suspect’s attack is retaliation against police brutality. Roper said his department stands firmly behind a man who he called a “good officer through these years”. “Your mission is to get better and to spend time with your family”.

‘They’re losing these confrontations.

Cunningham tried to flee the scene, but was caught soon afterwards and now faces charges of attempted murder.

Boackle did not immediately return a message from Patch left with his secretary for further elaboration. I have a concussion and I’m still heavily medicated.