Tag: Arlington

An Arlington officer who killed an armed driver police said failed to comply with orders during a traffic stop on Interstate 20 shot the man three times and yelled “I’ll kill you,” according to bodycam footage Arlington police released in a news conference Tuesday.

The Arlington motorcycle cop, whose name has not be released pending criminal and internal affairs investigations by the department, pulled over 49-year-old Sean McKay on Thursday afternoon on I-20 near Green Oaks Boulevard for driving erratically, police say.

McKay had a criminal history, including a capital murder charge, weapon violations, and drug charges, according to Arlington Police Chief Al Jones.

The officer originally intended to conduct a traffic stop due to illegal plates that McKay had on the black Cadillac he was driving, Jones said at the news conference. As seen in the bodycam video, the officer — who was on a motorcycle — directed McKay to pull over to the right of the freeway. Instead, McKay swerved across several lanes on the highway and pulled over on the left shoulder.

When the officer also pulled over to the left shoulder, he was heard yelling at McKay to get out of the car. He told McKay to keep his hands on the steering wheel and said, “You don’t do that kind of bull [expletive] with me.”

A Kennedale police officer also pulled over to assist the Arlington officer, according to Jones.

McKay responded to the Arlington officer by apologizing and said he crossed several lanes on I-20 as he was trying to help someone. He is heard in the video repeatedly apologizing to the officer.

As McKay is explaining himself to both officers about why he crossed the lanes, the Arlington officer is heard in the video saying, “I told you to go across that way and you went ahead this way… Your vehicle smells like weed. You got a gun in the car? Do you have any weapons in the car?”

McKay shook his head as the Arlington officer asked a second time if he had a weapon in his car. The only other occupant in his vehicle was a dog he had in the back seat, according to Jones.

Jones could not confirm at the news conference whether drugs were found in McKay’s vehicle.

“You should’ve done what you were told man,” said the officer, to which McKay replied, “I didn’t see you.”

The Arlington officer then tells McKay to turn the car off and to give him the keys. Instead, McKay turns his car on, according to the video.

“I just told you to turn the car off and give me the keys,” the Arlington officer said in the video. The officer then tells McKay to step out of the car and attempts to grab the driver.

“Don’t do that. Don’t touch me,” said McKay.

The Arlington officer is heard in the video repeatedly telling McKay to turn the vehicle off and to step out of the car, to which the driver refuses.

“I’m not doing anything wrong, sir,” McKay said after refusing to comply.

“You just turned the car on when I told you to turn it off,” said the Arlington officer.

Both officers attempted to get McKay out of the vehicle and the Arlington officer told him, “You got a gun in the car? Quit reaching around.”

McKay is then seen in the video moving over to the passenger seat and grabbing a handgun. The Arlington officer aimed his gun at McKay and ordered him to put his hands up. McKay repeatedly says “don’t do it” while holding his gun, the video shows.

Both officers are heard asking McKay multiple times to put his hands up. At one point, the Arlington officer is heard yelling, “I’ll kill you. Put the gun down.”

McKay said, “I know you will, don’t do it” as he again refused to put his gun down. He then said, “step away from my car,” just before the Arlington officer fired his gun at him three times.

The driver was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said Thursday.

The Kennedale officer did not fire her weapon, according to Arlington police. Neither of the officers were injured. The dog that was inside McKay’s vehicle was not injured.

“This is a very stressful situation,” said Jones at the conference. “They’re [officers] put in these unfortunate situations. We’re asking our residents to comply with us so that we don’t have these types of outcomes.”

When asked by a reporter about the Arlington officer telling McKay he would kill him, Jones said he does not think that was the officer’s intention.

“I’m sure the officer wasn’t thinking that he wanted to kill Mr. McKay. What he wanted Mr. McKay to do was to comply with the orders that he’s given. Mr. McKay had several opportunities… Those two officers pretty much begged him to drop the weapon several times and he failed to comply,” Jones said.

Jones added that the situation could not have de-escalated when a weapon was drawn by the driver.

“When they saw that gun, that became a deadly situation. There is really not that much room where they could have de-escalated,” said Jones.

Officers do not have to wait for someone to point their gun at them before they fire their weapons, according to Jones.

“It’s an unfortunate situation that I wish could have had a better outcome and that’s why it’s important to comply,” Jones said.

The officer, an eight-year-veteran with the department, has been placed on paid leave per department policy.