A Black off-duty cop was shot in St. Louis, Mo., by a fellow police officer who was “fearing for his safety,” despite other cops on the scene recognizing him as an officer. Rufus Tate Jr., an attorney for the injured officer, has stated that race absolutely played a factor in the shooting.
None of the seven officers involved in the incident have been identified, but they are all currently on administrative leave as the department sorts through the incident.
According to the police report, the incident began on June 21 when a group of anti-crime detectives were pursuing three suspects, who are all Black, in a stolen car crime. The suspects began firing at the officers, but they eventually crashed the vehicle they were driving. They fled on foot, and two officers began shooting the suspects.
