Police Shoot Passenger in Car, Considering Charging Driver with Felony Murder
Police say driver aimed his car at theirs
Police in Hayward, California were trying to shoot the driver of a car they say was aimed at that hit their patrol cruiser when a passenger was fatally shot twice instead. It happened at 3 in the morning on Sunday and a civilian was riding along with the police. Police say it was a tragedy, but procedures were followed and there was no ill-intent. Via the Contra Costa Times:
[Sgt. Eric] Krimm said the passenger's death was "tragic."
"Our policy does not prohibit shooting at a vehicle. In any shooting, officers have to consider and be aware of their backdrop and the potential injury to people who are not the intended target. It's tragic that he was shot in this incident because there was no intent to harm him," Krimm said. "At this point in the investigation, we have not found anything that we would have arrested him for."
The Times also reports that police are considering charging the driver of the car with felony murder for the death of the passenger. It's the fifth fatal police shooting in the Bay Area since last Thursday.