A Bryan police officer was involved in a shooting with a 33-year-old black male on Feb. 12 at about 10:19 p.m. at the 5300 block of Mallard Drive, according to a Bryan Police Department press release.
Officer Steven Laughlin and another officer were the first to arrive on the scene. They were advised by a woman that a man was in her home who was not supposed to be there. The female also told officers the man had been arrested before and his protective order had recently expired.
While the officers were speaking to the female, the 33-year-old male, who has not been charged yet and as such will remain unidentified, approached the group. As Laughlin began to approach the man, the man placed his right hand into his back right pocket. Laughlin told the man to remove his hands from his pocket but the man refused and made multiple statements like “Are you ready?” and “I ain’t droppin’ nothing” while moving around the back side of the patrol vehicle. During the encounter, Laughlin kept the vehicle between himself and the man.
According to the press release, the male moved toward the female but continued to ask Laughlin if he was ready. Laughlin told him, “Don’t do this” and the man responded “Do it man,” and continued to act like he was holding a gun.
According to the press release, the man pulled a black object from his back pocket, took a shooting stance and pointed at Laughlin, who ducked for cover and fired his handgun several times, hitting the 33-year-old.
The Bryan Police Department press release said, “Officer Laughlin believed the black object was a gun and he was in immediate fear for his well-being.” The object was a cell phone, but the male continued to move and conceal his hands. Once backup arrived medical aid was provided to the injured man and he was transported to CHI St. Joseph Regional Health Center in critical condition. The woman was unharmed.
The incident was captured in its entirety by a body camera, and the video supports the facts listed above and will be released after consulting the District Attorney, the press release said. BPD has not identified the injured man because he is not currently being charged with a criminal offense.
As of 12:45 p.m. Feb. 13 it was reported that the male has shown improvement and is in stable condition. BPD has initiated two investigations of the incident, and the case is being investigated by the Criminal Investigation Division and internal affairs.
BPD has a policy that places officers involved in shootings to be on administrative leave until there are results of an administrative review of their actions.