Horrifying moment cop shoots woman dead as she screams ‘I’m pregnant’
A cop was filmed shooting a woman dead as she lay on the ground, moments after she shouted: ‘I’m pregnant.’ Shaky cell phone footage shows the woman struggling with a Baytown police officer in Texas just on Monday night.
After an the fight brings the pair to the ground, the officer stands up, takes a step back, and fires five times at the woman, which can be heard in the video. Just before the shooting, the woman can be heard shouting ‘I’m walking. I actually walking to my house,’ although she later is heard saying the cop is ‘harassing’ her.
The Baytown police department released a statement Tuesday that claimed the 45-year-old woman grabbed the officer’s Taser and turned it on him, which ‘forced’ the officer to ‘fire multiple rounds at the female, striking her at least once.’
According to the statement: ‘It appears that as the officer was then attempting to handcuff the female she was able to gain control of his Taser.’ The department has not released the identity of the woman, although family members have come forward to say her name was Pamela Shantay Turner, according to KHOU, reports the metro.co.uk.
Authorities said they are looking for the person who recorded the video and said it was ‘unfortunate’ that the footage ended up online. Baytown Police Lieutenant Steve Dorris said: ‘It’s unfortunate that somebody takes a tragic incident like this and posts it on social media. It’s extremely disrespectful for everybody involved, but that’s the day and age we live in with social media.’ According to the department, the officer knew Turner had warrants out for her arrest at the time of the incident. After the shooting, he reportedly tried to give her first aid, but she died on scene.
The officer has been placed on paid administrative leave following the shooting, which is normal protocol after a police shooting. His name has not been released, but Baytown police identified him as an 11-year veteran of the department. A woman who said she was Turner’s niece told KHOU that Turner was not actually pregnant, claiming she suffered from mental health issues. That claim will not be confirmed until an autopsy is performed.