Connecticut Officer Found Justified In Shooting an 18-Year-Old

It’s been trying times, folks. You would hope a crisis affecting every level of American life would put a temporary lockdown on the bullshit. Unfortunately, that’s not the case.

According to AP News, a state prosecutor has found Layau Eulizier, a police officer in Connecticut, was justified in the shooting death of 18-year-old Anthony Cruz. Eulizier was trying to stop Cruz because the license plate on his car wasn’t registered to his vehicle. Eulizier got out of his car and stepped in front of the vehicle with his weapon drawn. When it looked like Cruz was about to take off, the officer fired multiple shots through the windshield, killing him. He did so because he feared being run over.

There are multiple things Eulizier could have done instead of shooting Cruz. He could’ve simply gotten the fuck out the way. Shot out the tires. Heck, here’s a thought: Don’t stand in front of a running car. Granted, based on his history, Eulizer doesn’t seem terribly good at his job.

From AP:

Crump — a Florida attorney known for representing the families of young black men killed by police — and Michael Jefferson, another lawyer for the family, said there was no reason for Eulizier to run in front of the car and create a dangerous situation. They also cited personnel records that said Eulizier had problems handling stressful situations and made tactical mistakes when he was a Manchester officer from 2015 until 2018.

While an argument was made that these records aren’t a fair representation of Eulizier’s ability to do his job, he killed someone over a traffic violation. I think that fact alone speaks volumes to how well Eulizier can do his job. Instead of trying to de-escalate the situation, he put his own self in line of danger and wound up killing someone as a result.

Adding insult to injury, Eulizier wasn’t fired or put on suspension during the investigation. He was given desk duty. It’s crazy how being a cop is the one job you can be absolutely terrible at and still not get fired.