Arlington police release body cam footage from fatal shooting during traffic stop
ARLINGTON - Arlington Police released body cam footage from the officer-involved shooting on Thursday, Feb. 8.
A traffic stop that day resulted in one person being shot and killed by police.
Arlington Police Chief Al Jones said the victim of the fatal shooting had multiple opportunities to follow officers' commands but refused.
It happened on I-20 westbound last Thursday near Green Oaks, when the officer says he tried to pull over 49-year-old Sean McKay, for a piece of plastic covering his license plate.
McKay pulled to the opposite side of the road, swerving across multiple lanes before pulling over.
Police say the car smelt of marijuana, and when the officer repeatedly asked him to turn off the car and exit, he refused. An officer from Kennedale in the area saw the traffic stop and stopped to help. The APD officer had asked for backup, which was on the way at the time.
The APD officer continued telling McKay to exit the vehicle. McKay stayed in the car.
Eventually, both officers attempted to physically remove McKay from his car. McKay resisted, moved into the front passenger's seat, and pulled a handgun to his side.
When the driver refused to drop the handgun after multiple requests, the officer fired his weapon three times. The Kennedale officer did not fire their weapon. There was also a dog in the back seat of the car which was not injured.
McKay was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.
In the video, McKay is heard begging the officers not to kill him.
We asked Chief Jones if the shooting was justified or if there were other desecration tactics the officer could have used; he said every situation is different.
"Highly stressful situation," said Jones. "The Officer isn't thinking he wants to kill him, he wants him to comply... he had opportunities to step out. He had chances to drop the weapon, the officers begged him and he didn't comply,"
McKay has a criminal history and has been charged with weapon violence and capital murder in the past.
Jones said there are still two ongoing investigations into the officer. One on whether any criminal offenses were committed, and the other, administrative to see if the officer followed the correct procedure during the traffic stop.
The officer's name would not be released until those investigations conclude.
The police said Internal Affairs and the homicide team are conducting ongoing investigations into the matter, and the officer was placed on administrative leave pending further inquiry into the matter.
