Fresh details are emerging about a controversial police shooting. Eric Cantu Jr. was critically wounded in a McDonalds parking lot by officer James Brennand on October 2. What nobody knew until now is that the night before, they had a long and involved encounter. Cantu’s girlfriend was there to tell all about it.
Details shed light on shooting
The left-leaning network media has been hammering the San Antonio Police Department over an officer involved shooting. One which left Erik Cantu Jr. on life support at University Hospital. They make it sound like the teen was innocently munching his meal when ambushed and almost murdered by Officer James Brennand. Mr. Cantu isn’t nearly as innocent as his supporters maintain.
The fresh details are pretty good at dispelling any myth there were hostile, premeditated intentions on the part of the cop. As the truth comes out, it looks more like basic rookie mistake. Brennand meant well, was trying real hard to perform his duty, and did what he needed to do once it became a fight for survival, during their fateful final encounter.
The previous evening, Saturday, October 1, Officer Brennand attempted to pull over the same maroon BMW sedan which Cantu drove to McDonald’s. The second night, he was again trying to flee from the officer.
BREAKING Night before shooting at McDonalds, Erik Cantu evaded same SAPD officer who shot him: records #KSATnews https://t.co/Po2U7X7vhv
— Dillon Collier (@dilloncollier) October 31, 2022
Cantu’s teenage girlfriend was with him both times. She didn’t want to get into the car with him the second night because she knew the cops were looking for and shooting at him. He talked her into it.
Local news outlets obtained police reports that lay out her side of the shooting story.
Starting with what happened the day before, the unnamed teen has quite a tale to tell. The excitement all began when Officer Brennand pulled up behind her boyfriend and lit up the light bar.
Not dealing with cops
Erik, she speculated, “may have just not wanted to ‘deal‘ with ‘cops.’” They were cruising along a North Side highway so Cantu simply ignored the flashing red and blues to “speed off.” For some reason, city officials tried to block the release of all the shooting information, including records of the prior chase. The judge disagreed.
The in-car COBAN camera records “show Brennand encountering a maroon BMW sedan Oct. 1 around 8:45 p.m. in the area of U.S. Hwy. 281 and Bitters Road.”
Officer Brennand “pulled up behind the vehicle and then activated his emergency lights, at which point the BMW accelerated and moved to the left, in front of another vehicle before driving onto the on-ramp for Highway 281.” See ya. There wasn’t any shooting. “Brennand did not engage in a pursuit, but later documented that the BMW’s license plates came back to another vehicle.”
Parents of Erik Cantu Jr. call for attempted murder charges in first public comments since shooting – @NPR https://t.co/gd3LbpZTBj He was shot by a cop in San Antonio, Texas at McDonald’s.
— News Views – Retired Hack Reporter ™ (@VegasVisions) October 25, 2022
Since then it was determined the vehicle wasn’t stolen but the plate might have been. The girlfriends interrogation “corroborates that Erik was the driver and they were in the same BMW the night he eluded Officer Brennand by 281 and Bitters Road.” After the chase, she was “upset” and had Cantu take her home. The next night, she “expressed to Erik that she did not want to get ‘arrested‘ or ‘shot at‘ because of Erik’s actions.” Even so, she let him pick her up at a friends before going to McDonalds.
Officer Brennand was already there, working a disturbance call. He quickly recognized the maroon BMW from the night before. Apparently, he lost his cool and disregarded training. Brennand “opened the driver’s side door without announcing himself as an officer.”
As related by the girlfriend, “Cantu disregarded Brennand’s command to get out of the car” and started backing out to escape. That’s when the car door “hit the officer” and the officer “kinda gets dragged behind.” Brennand started shooting. Because he was “a probationary officer with seven months of experience,” he was fired and has no options to fight it.
