Eighteen-year-old Antonio Miller is still in the hospital in fair condition after being shot by a police officer at the Marshall Court Apartments Monday night in Newport News. But it’s up for debate about how things actually went down.
“The little youngin’ was running with a gun, and the officer told him to put it down. The little boy was so tired, he just fell down, fell on his back, and the officer put his feet on his chest,” said the witness who didn’t want to identify himself to NewsChannel 3. “He put handcuffs on the little boy, and things progressed. He got up waving the gun, saying ‘Get back, get back,’ then he shot this little boy.”
Newport News police say the way the teen was shot proves this man's story wrong.
According to investigators, Miller was hit by just one bullet that went through his wrist, and then hit the side of his stomach.
They say if the 18-year-old was indeed handcuffed, that bullet would have gone right through his back, which did not happen.
Police say the officer was on special duty patrolling the complex for the city housing authority when everything happened quickly.
“A call was put out for an individual with a firearm,” said Lou Thurston, public information officer for the Newport News Police Department. “The officer located someone who matched the description. He was in his vehicle and tried to talk to the guy from his vehicle. He tried to get him to stop, and that’s when he took off running.”
The officer first followed Miller in his car, then got out and ran after the 18-year-old.
“There was something of a struggle that started, and the officer used pepper spray,” said Thurston. “After more of a struggle with the suspect, at some point, the officer’s weapon discharged.”
The officer is on paid administrative leave while the department looks into if he had reason to fire his weapon.
