
Some officer-involved shootings are easier to explain than others.
This recently-released video of a 2014 shooting that resulted from an
officer arriving at the scene of a minor traffic accident, however, is much more difficult to accept than some.
Police released footage of a 2014 shooting of a man who
failed to show his hands while exiting his vehicle after a traffic
accident.
Officer Phillip Hancock responded to an erratic driver call on March
6, 2014 and discovered Michael Davidson had swiped the back of a
tractor-trailer, WRBL reported. Both drivers pulled over to the shoulder to exchange information.
Davidson exited his vehicle with his black wallet in his hand, leading Hancock to believe it was a gun, WTVM reported. Hancock told Davidson to show his hands twice before firing one shot into the ground and another that wounded Davidson.
Let’s go to the video, and then break things down.
Officer Phillip Hancock arrives at the scene of a minor accident,
where Michael Davidson’s SUV had “swiped” the back of a tractor trailer.
The truck driver got out of his vehicle and began walking back as
Davidson attempted to force the door of his SUV open, which was a bit
harder to push open than normal because the driver’s side of the vehicle
was on an uphill slope.

It is as Davidson is still trying to get out of the SUV, struggling
against the weight of the door, that Officer Hancock spots a black
object in Davidson’s right hand. He screams loudly, “Let me see your
hands!” Davidson continues to try to struggle out of the vehicle,
apparently hearing but not processing Hancock’s command.

Davidson finally forces the door open as Officer Hancock screams
again, “let me see your hands!” Davidson is bringing his black wallet in
his right hand to his left hand (above) as Hancock issues his command.
Davidson’s movement looks reasonably similar to someone attempting to
establish a two-handed grip on a handgun before pressing out.

Unfortunately, it is about the time that Davidson has his hands in
that pseudo-firing grip that he finally seems to process Officer
Hancock’s commands to show his hands. Instead of simply freezing,
however, he quickly raises both airs, with the hand holding the wallet
arcing up at Officer Hancock, who cranks off two rounds.
The first strikes Mr. Davidson low and exits his back just above the pelvis on the left side.

The second ricochets off the pavement (above) just beside Davidson’s foot. Davidson goes down immediately afterward.
The incident lasted just three seconds from the first warning to the last shot fired.
The video from the shooting has generated a lot of controversy, but
two courts courts have looked at the available evidence and determined
that Officer Hancock’s use of force based upon Davidson’s actions was
justifiable.