WASHINGTON — As a woman recovers in the hospital after being shot by a D.C. police officer, the city’s police union is offering reaction to cellphone video that was taken from the scene.
“I’m sure he feared for his life,” said union spokesman Marinos Marinos.
The video shows Renita Nettles, 22, slowly moving toward the officer as he keeps his gun raised. According to police, the officer told Nettles multiple times to stop and drop her knife, but she refused.
The officer then fires once, hitting Nettles in the shoulder.
“He tried multiple times to move back,” said Marinos. “I just feel like he had no other options.”
Marinos admits the video does not show the entire picture, however.
“We don’t have the complete investigation or all the pieces of the puzzle so it’s hard to say whether or not it’s a justified shooting,” Marinos said.
Nettles is expected to survive. She has been charged with assault on a police officer, assault with a deadly weapon and arson. She is accused of starting a fire inside a home, which is what brought police to the 5300 block of Clay Terrace NE Saturday evening.
According to Marinos, the officer likely reached for his gun first because pepper spray can be ineffective.
“It’s very hard to actually get it in the target zone, which is the eyes and the face,” he said of pepper spray.
The officer did not have a Taser because those weapons are not issued to patrol officers, Marinos told WTOP.
An internal investigation into the shooting has begun and the officer involved has been placed on paid leave, which is typical in such instances. The officer’s name has not been released. And it was not clear whether he was wearing a body camera.
