North America

Campus police shoot and kill Texas student during traffic stop

Campus police shoot and kill Texas student during traffic stop

A 23-year-old honor student has been shot and killed by a campus police officer in San Antonio, Texas.

Robert Cameron Redus, a student at the University of the Incarnate Word, was pulled over by police around 2:30 a.m. Friday near the campus for driving “erratically,” according to the police.

A struggle ensued between the student and police when Cpl. Christopher Carter pulled his gun and shot Redus six times, police said.

He was pronounced dead at the scene. Redus was only months away from graduating college. The incident is still being investigated.

The police say it is unclear why Carter shot Redus. One witness said he heard someone say “‘Oh, you’re gonna shoot me?’ like sarcastic almost,” before he heard 4-6 shots fired.

Carter is now put on paid administrative leave by authorities investigating the incident.

Redus’ family said in a statement, “We are understandably devastated by the death of our dear son Cameron and we ask for your prayers as we deal with our tragic loss.”

Redus, a communications major, was described by other students as “the nicest guy” whose greatest strength was compassion.

“He’s not an aggressive person at all, so the story just doesn’t really make sense to any of us,” student Sarah Davis told KSAT.

Redus is the latest victim of US police shootings leading to the death of unarmed individuals. In a similar case last month, police shot and killed a 19-year-old student on Iowa State University’s campus who had driven off in his father’s truck. The county attorney deemed the use of force “justified.”

Since the deadly shooting at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, on December 14 which left 20 first-grade school children and six staff members dead, the US media have reported nearly 11,400 gun deaths in the country, according to an interactive project between slate.com and the anonymous creator of the Twitter feed @GunDeaths.

According to the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, 32 people are murdered with guns in the US every day and 140 Americans are treated for gun-related injuries in an emergency room.

Back to top button