ROCK ISLAND COUNTY, Ill. —The Rock Island Police Department released body camera footage showing an officer-involved shooting where an officer was dragged by a suspect’s vehicle, The Quad City Times reported.
During the Jan. 5 incident, Officer Brett Taylor attempted to detain a suspect after identifying an active arrest warrant for failure to appear in a misdemeanor case, according to the report. The man initially fled on foot before returning to his vehicle, where Taylor attempted to remove him.
During a struggle, the suspect accelerated while Taylor was partially inside the vehicle, dragging him about 100 feet, video shows. Taylor then fired multiple rounds, striking the suspect, who later died at a hospital.
Rock Island County State’s Attorney Dora Villarreal ruled that Taylor’s use of force was proportional, as the suspect was in a running vehicle and shifted into drive while Taylor was hanging on and being dragged. Villarreal said at that point, the suspect was using the vehicle as a deadly weapon.
“It was entirely lawful for Officer Taylor to respond with equal or greater force,” Villarreal said, calling the decision to shoot “objectively reasonable.”
The Rock Island County Integrity Task Force completed its investigation before the state’s attorney made the final determination. Taylor remains on administrative leave while the Rock Island Police Department reviews his adherence to department policies, according to the report.
