A man shot and killed by an Arlington police officer was buried Saturday, two weeks to the day since the incident.
O’Shae Terry, 24, was killed while attempting to leave the scene of a traffic stop on Saturday, Sept. 1.
Terry was initially pulled over because he had an expired registration sticker on his car, according to police, and the officer then reported smelling marijuana in the vehicle.
Body camera video released by the Arlington Police Department shows the point of view of the officer who shot Terry. That officer, whose name has not been released, arrived on the scene as backup.
The video shows the police officer standing on the passenger side of the SUV talking to Terry, who was driving, and a passenger.
In the video, the second officer to arrive said, "If you don't have anymore [marijuana] inside the vehicle, y'all shouldn't be worried about it. We just have to do what we have to do. So that's basically it."
After the officer finished speaking, someone began to roll up the windows and Terry started the car.
The officer immediately said, "Stop," then stepped onto the SUV's running board and grabbed the top of the partially-rolled up window as Terry began to drive away.
Once the vehicle appeared to be in motion, the officer pulled his gun and fired five shots into the SUV, striking Terry.
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An attorney who represents the Terry family has demanded that the officer, who is back to work after being initially placed on paid administrative leave, be fired from the Arlington Police Department and be prosecuted for the decision to use deadly force.
"The officer simply needed to watch them drive away. There was no immediate danger to anyone in that case," attorney Lee Merritt said Saturday when asked what the officer in the video should have done, considering the circumstances. "We expect law enforcement officers to investigate crimes, and sometimes when they investigate crimes they will run into people who have broken the law. We only allow deadly force in very limited circumstances and this was not one of them."
Merritt acknowledged O'Shae Terry made several mistakes, including the decision to attempt to flee the scene of his traffic stop.
"He should've had his tags registered. He should've not smoked marijuana, or had marijuana in his possession. There a lot of things that we can say he should've gone back and done differently," Merritt said of Terry.
After the incident, officers located a large amount of marijuana in the vehicle -- just over one pound -- in addition to seven grams of ecstasy, a Glock handgun and an extended, 29-round magazine.
The officer was treated for minor injuries he suffered after he fell from the SUV's running board.
