US cop's quick reaction to gun-wielding teen 'justified'

  • 02/06/2017

It's yet another fatal shooting of an African-American by white police officers - but this time it's been deemed justified, with video showing just how quickly a cop needed to react to avoid being killed himself.

Dashcam and bodycam footage from the incident shows Michigan 18-year-old, Malik Carey, sitting in the back of a car being questioned by police on May 3 because he hadn't been showing up at school.

While he refuses to reveal his identity, the officers are fairly sure it's Carey - and they chat to him casually about his dreadlocks as they await a picture of him from his school.

When they receive confirmation of his identity, the police immediately tell him to get out of the vehicle - but the officer who opens the door gets a handgun pulled out on him by Carey, who had the weapon stashed in his jeans.

The officer had to move out of the firing line quickly to avoid death or serious injury, scrambling on the ground while yelling "gun, gun, gun!" as Carey shot four times.

No officers were struck - but after Carey attempted to flee he was shot and later died in hospital.

The video, which only recently emerged after a Kent County prosecutor investigated whether the shooting was justified, was enough to have brought about an attempted murder charge for Carey should he have survived.

Carey had already been charged with assault with intent to murder in 2015, and had a criminal history dating back to when he was 12.

"I think they're very lucky," Prosecutor Chris Becker said.

"You look how close that was - that photograph of the gun pointed - and there's two officers right there. But for the grace of God, neither one of them got hit."

The three officers involved in the incident were placed on leave for the entirety of the investigation, but they have all now returned to work.

Newshub.