DETROIT – A Detroit police officer who was suspended after being shown on video appearing to flee the scene of a shooting says it was the only option.
The video shows a man pull out a gun and start firing right before Detroit police officers appear to flee. The incident happened on June 30.
Read: Detroit police officers under investigation after video appears to show them flee scene of shooting
Detroit police officer Lasonja Parker said when she looked up she saw someone hanging out of a car firing a long gun. She said what went through her mind in that moment was “we have to take cover.”
She said they had to speed away from a carload of men who opened fire on a man right in front of them. She said the video that was leaked from the police department doesn’t show that one of the gunman aimed his laser-equipped handgun at the officers.
“From his weapon, there was like a red beam that shined through to us and she pressed the gas,” Parker said.
The man was shot five times. The video doesn’t show that officer Parker and her partner came back to the victim 25 seconds later.
“We hit a u-turn and went to go find him and get him to the hospital,” Parker said.
They took the victim to a hospital in their squad car. The officers were suspended weeks later without an explanation. It was later that Parker found out the video had been leaked.
Parker hired attorney Greg Rohl after fellow officers went online to disparage their decision.
“We saved someone’s life at the end of the day. We made it home. He made it home. That should be all that matters,” Parker said.