Arlington police release bodycam video of deadly shooting during I-20 traffic stop
ARLINGTON, Texas - Arlington police released body camera video from an officer who shot and killed an armed driver during a traffic stop.
Sean Daniel McKay was pulled over by a motorcycle officer on Thursday, Feb. 8, because police say he was driving erratically across I-20 and had an illegal covering on his license plate.
Arlington PD says the 8-year department veteran, who has yet to be named, and a Lancaster PD officer both took part in the stop. Only McKay and a dog were in the vehicle at the time. The volatile back-and-forth escalated quickly.
"This is a very stressful situation," said Arlington Police Chief Al Jones at Tuesday's news conference. "We’re asking our residents to comply with us, so we don’t have these types of outcomes."
The motorcycle officer pulled over McKay’s Cadillac after he drove across several lanes of traffic and stopped on the left shoulder. The officer approached him.
Previous mugshot for Sean McKay (Source: Tarrant Co Sheriff's Office)
"Keep your hands on the steering wheel," the officer said in his bodycam video. "You don’t do that kind of bull crap with me!"
"Listen, I’m so sorry. I’m here to help her," McKay said.
"I don’t care! You don’t cut across the highway like that," the officer said.
"I apologize, sir. I apologize," McKay said.
Coincidentally, McKay was already planning to pull over to that spot to help a friend who was parked in a Mitsubishi with a flat tire. She watched it all play out.
The conversation between McKay and the officer continued while a second officer from the Kennedale Police Department, who was in the area, stopped to assist.
"Your vehicle smells like weed. You got a gun in the car?" the officer asked.
"No," McKay claimed.
"Do you have any weapons in the car? Do you have any weapons in the car?" the officer asked again.
"No," McKay repeated.
"You should’ve done what you were told, man. I told you to get over that way," the officer said.
"I didn’t see you," McKay said.
The officer can be heard in the video speaking a series of commands to McKay, and McKay disobeyed every one of them.
The officer attempted to pull McKay out of the Cadillac, but he refused.
"You got a gun in the car? Quit reaching around," the officer said.
Video shows McKay climbing over the passenger seat and grabbing a gun.
"Don’t do it!" McKay said.
"I’ll kill you! Put the gun down!" the officer told him.
"I know you will!" McKay said.
McKay did not point the gun, but he never dropped it. He slightly leaned forward while pointing his free hand at the officer, and the officer fired three shots.
Chief Jones acknowledged the weapon was not visibly pointed toward the officer before the officer fired. He says, at that point, there was not time for de-escalation tactics.
"When they saw that gun, that became a deadly force situation. There is really not that much room where they could have de-escalated or moved back," he said. "They were like three feet away from this guy. We don’t have to wait for someone to point a gun at us before we take action. By that time, it’s too late."
The police chief says the shooting death is an unfortunate outcome.
"I think we could’ve had a different outcome provided that he actually complied with everything. He didn’t comply with anything that we asked him to do," Jones said.
McKay was a convicted felon.
"Based on his criminal history, he should not have had a gun," Jones said.
Arlington police officer shoots, kills armed driver during traffic stop on I-20
Arlington police say the driver had been "driving erratically" and refused the officer's commands to drop his gun.
Taylor Royster is McKay’s friend who had a flat tire. She witnessed everything.
"I’m just speechless," she said.
Royster and her boyfriend, Jacob Dean, believe the officer was too aggressive in his initial approach to McKay.
"He told him he was sorry. He apologized for doing what he did," Dean said. "And the only reason he went to the left side of the road was because he was going to help her, and she was right there."
The Arlington Police Department is not naming the officer.
Neither the dog nor the officers were injured.
Per department policy, the officer has been placed on administrative leave.
Criminal and administrative investigations are underway in connection to the incident.