White SAPD Officer Indicted for Attempted Murder, Assault. Cop Wrongly Believed Parked Car was Stolen and Wildly Opened Fire on a Latino Teen. Continued to Shoot as the Boy Fled and Posed No Threat

From [HERE] A white San Antonio police officer has been indicted on attempted murder and assault charges after he shot an unarmed 17-year-old in a McDonald's parking lot in October, prosecutors announced Thursday.

A grand jury handed down the indictment for James Brennand, a San Antonio Police officer. He is charged with one count of attempted murder and two counts of aggravated assault, Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales told reporters. The police apparently fired the cop due to the shooting.

"Justice means making sure that man never works as a member of law enforcement, making sure that that man never has a gun and a badge," Gonzales said. [what difference, if he is easily replaceable with another person with the right to attack people in unprovoked situations?]

Erik Cantu was eating a meal in his parked car outside a McDonald's on October 2 when Brennand approached the vehicle, thinking it was a car that had previously evaded him, according to police. Usually cops check tags to make sure the car is the same - unless it’s driven by a non-white person. Body camera footage shows Brennand opened the door, and a visibly startled Cantu backed up and started to drive away with another passenger inside. Brennand fired his weapon 10 times at the car.

Cantu was critically injured with wounds to vital organs and spent nearly eight weeks in the hospital. His family announced his release last week, saying he still has a long road of recovery ahead. He sustained injuries to his stomach, diaphragm, lungs, liver, bicep and forearm.

“He is cut from the center of his chest down to his stomach, has staples, tubes in his mouth, tubes in his sides,” Cantu Sr. said previously.

It was also revealed that Cantu Jr. had a tracheotomy. Casarez previously stated her son still has a bullet lodged near his heart and said it would do more harm than good to remove it. It’s unclear if that’s still the case.

He is represented by Atty Ben Crump in a civil case.

Brennand was fired from the San Antonio Police Department days after the shooting. Just over a week after the incident, he turned himself in to police and was arrested on two counts of aggravated assault by a public servant -- one for each passenger. He was released from custody after posting $100,000 bond for each count, the Bexar County Sheriff's Office said.

San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said at the time of the arrest, "There is no question in anybody's mind looking at that (body camera) video that the shooting is not justified."

The police chief has said Brennand's actions violated the department's policies against shooting at moving vehicles.

Each count of aggravated assault Brennand faces carries a sentence of five to 99 years, and the attempted murder charge added by the grand jury carries a sentence of two to 20 years.

Asked if he'll be seeking the maximum penalty, Gonzales said, "The maximum punishment appears to be appropriate."