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Video shows events leading up to fatal shooting of Okla. cop

Officer Justin Terney can be seen questioning suspect Byron James Shepard before he fled on foot

The video below contains footage of the events leading up to the killing of an officer. As such, be advised that this footage may be upsetting to some viewers.

The decision to run news like the below is not one we take lightly, and we do so because we believe it has value to our law enforcement audience in capturing the sort of situation law enforcers hope never to face. We feel it is important even as it is difficult to observe.

The death of a police officer is felt by the entire LE community and can take a heavy toll. Take a look at our articles on how critical incident stress debriefing teams help cops in crisis, 6 proactive steps to maintaining officers’ mental health and coping with line-of-duty death in law enforcement.

By Police1 Staff

TECUMSEH, Okla. — Police released dash cam footage Wednesday of the moments leading up to the fatal shooting of Officer Justin Terney.

Terney, 22, pulled over a vehicle for a broken taillight on March 26 and asked the passenger to exit the vehicle, KFOR reported.

Terney questioned the suspect, who said his name was James Bishop Jr. His real name was later confirmed as Byron James Shepard.

Shepard, 36, told Terney his middle name was Bunion, to which Terney replied “I think you’re lying to me. Are you lying to me?”

When Terney questioned Shepard about his date of birth, Shepard took off into a wooded area on foot. Terney pursued him and deployed his TASER, which had no effect, KOCO reported.

Shepard then turned and fired shots at Terney, striking him in the stomach. Terney was transported to a local hospital where he underwent surgery. He died Monday morning from his injuries.

According to the Associated Press, Shepard was charged with first-degree murder Wednesday. The driver of the vehicle Shepard was in was arrested for harboring a fugitive.

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