ST. LOUIS — Many were wondering why a 20-yr-old victim was shot in the back recently by an officer.
It now appears that the officer had been snorting cocaine before the shooting.
The officer, Arthur Sargeant, 48, has been charged with one count of driving under the influence of cocaine, one count of aggravated battery with a firearm, and two counts of official misconduct.
The shooting occurred when a young man was seen nearby a public housing complex.
Police claimed that the young man was a “suspect” in a “burglary.”
However, the man was not charged with anything.
Officer Sargeant is said to have gotten high on cocaine, at which point he pulled out his gun, aimed at the victim and began firing rounds into the victim’s back.
Officer Sargeant was working as a guard for a housing authority at the time, and received his training through the St Claire County Sheriff’s Department.
The victim’s identity has not been released yet and it is unknown what his condition is.
“The law applies to security officers just like everyone else and we will treat this case accordingly,” said Brendan Kelly, the State’s Attorney.
The official narrative was that the shooting occurred while police were “investigating a burglary.”
But that narrative has come under fire now that it turns out that the officer who fired the bullets was under the influence of cocaine.
After snorting cocaine and shooting the innocent victim, Officer Sargeant was immediately given paid administrative leave, according to reports.
Given that the victim was shot in the back, the question many have is: how can an officer possibly claim that he “feared for his life” from a man that was fleeing away from him?
Moreover, can the officer’s claims and judgments be treated as reliable given that he was high on cocaine?
And even more importantly, why is an officer only getting paid leave and not a conviction, even though he shot a citizen in the back while under the influence of cocaine?
We hope that answers to these questions are forthcoming as the investigation continues.
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