Alabama cop caught on video punching Black store owner who called for help
Police chief says 'I would much rather have a punch than an officer-involved shooting'
An Alabama police chief said that an officer punched a store owner because he believed that he and his fellow officers were in danger.
The police chief of Decatur, Alabama, Nate Allen, said that an officer punched a store owner because he believed that he and his fellow officers were in danger.
Kevin Penn is a Black man that owns the Star Beverage store. On March 15, he called the police to report a robbery and told the authorities that he was holding the suspect at gunpoint.
According to a report from AL.com, when officers responded to the scene, they saw Penn with a gun. Despite being asked to lower his firearm, the business owner allegedly refused. He did, however, remove the clip from the gun and a round from the chamber.
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Footage from the incident was released from the store’s surveillance camera. Tracey Lane is the source.
Police say that their department has body camera footage that shows something different. At a press conference, they showed a clip of their video, indicating that the officers felt as though their safety was compromised as Penn had his hand on his weapon.
As a result, Penn’s jaw was broken and several teeth were knocked out. His mouth was wired shut for weeks.
Chief Allen said officers should use the “least amount of force necessary to get the job done.” Many cases involving an armed suspect end with police shooting the person, he said.
“I would much rather have a punch than an officer-involved shooting,” the chief said. Allen said that the incident could have been avoided if the store owner had listened to the officers’ commands.
“I was always taught to abide by a police officer,” he said. “If a police officer tells you to do something that was legally and morally correct, then you are to do it.”
The story became news again after the press conference was posted to Facebook by the Decatur Police Department. During the press conference, video footage of the incident was shared. Despite the public showing of the body cam footage, copies were not made available.
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The officer who threw the punch is on administrative leave pending the investigation. The other two officers involved are still on regular duty.
Penn was handcuffed and arrested on a misdemeanor charge of obstructing governmental operations. He is accused of obstructing their investigation of the robbery, which actually turned out to be shoplifting.
The shoplifter was arrested during the incident.
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