LAS VEGAS, NV – Antoine Hodges is lucky to be alive after he was shot in the stomach by a police officer in a case of mistaken identity. “All I remember was me yelling at him, “I’m not your suspect. I know for sure I’m not your suspect,” Hodges said. He said he panicked when he saw the officer pull a gun on him and backed away, trying to calm the policeman down. When he reached behind him with his right hand to put his money away, Officer Jason Evans fired one shot right into his guts.
“There was no warning. He just fired,” Hodges said. The officer had mistaken his identity for another suspect in a homicide case. His lawyers filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against Officer Evans, Clark County Sheriff Doug Gillespie and the Metropolitan Police Department. One lawyer said, “He was confronted with a police officer with his gun drawn in ready-fire mode. At that point in time Antoine did not face a situation where an officer was trying to find out information, but had made a determination to fire.”
Evans was placed on routine, paid administrative leave pending a criminal review by the Clark County District Attorney’s office and an internal review.
66 comments
He should never have put his hand behind him. That probably made the officer feel threatened.
Really? seems to me the only threat in the situation was the incompetent officer.
Are you blind… he had nothing in his right hand, and pulled something out of his back pocket area. I guess you want the cop to only shoot back after getting shot?
Are YOU fucking stupid?
“When he reached behind him with his right hand to put his money away, Officer Jason Evans fired one shot right into his guts. ‘There was no warning. He just fired,’ Hodges said”
Seems to me having a gun in your face is warning enough.
We don’t know what the officer was saying at the time. How do you know he was not instructing Hodges to “Stop. Show me your hands. Do not move.” Unless you know ALL the factors, let’s not judge.
We don’t know what the officer was saying at the time???
““There was no warning. He just fired,” Hodges said.”.
Yes, lets take the word of a plantiff in what i am sure will be a multi-million dollar lawsuit against the municipality where this happened. Do you REALLY believe the cop just walked through the door, gun drawn, gave no verbal instructions, and just shot Hodges?
Do you have evidence to the contrary? Oh! When this eventually comes to trial you will do EXACTLY the thing you are accusing me. You will take the WORD of the cop. But at THIS point there is no such evidence – only the “evidence” you are contriving.
According to http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/officer-involved-shootings/unarmed-man-shot-officer-files-federal-lawsuit-against-department
“Police said Evans ordered Hodges to show his hands and exit the store. Hodges said the whole incident started suddenly, ended quickly and he doesn’t recall exactly what Evans said.”
He remembers yelling “I’m not your suspect” but not hearing the cop instruct him to exit the store?
So, the police say one thing, the man shot says something contrary. Why would I believe one over the other?
Anyone with half a brain would know that when ANYONE points a firearm at you, whether a cop or civilian, and you think they might shoot, it’s pretty stupid to move your hands in what might be PERCIEVED as a threatening manner, whether you meant to threaten or not.
Believe me, I am the first one to call out a cop on personal liberties violations, but this cop reacted the way any resonable person would.
“it’s pretty stupid to move your hands in what might be PERCIEVED as a threatening manner, whether you meant to threaten or not.”
— It may have been stupid, but people often do not act rationally when they panic.
–The gun should not have been pointed at him in the first place. Citizens are not trained in police confrontations – unlike police who are trained in citizen confrontations. And it seems Officer Evans violated dept procedure.
* “Police in Las Vegas have preached for officers to “de-escalate” situations since a rash of controversial police shootings in the last five years prompted a Department of Justice review and a Review-Journal investigation of police policies.
Potter said the officer didn’t wait for back-up from fellow officers and went inside a confined area by himself with his gun raised. If Hodges had actually been the armed killer Evans believed, their gunfight could have been deadly for the officer or innocent bystanders, he said.”
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“So, the police say one thing, the man shot says something contrary. Why would I believe one over the other?”
— Why do YOU believe one over the other? Police are TRAINED liars. They are TAUGHT that it is legal and permissible to lie to suspects.
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“Hodges said the whole incident started suddenly, ended quickly and he doesn’t recall exactly what Evans said.”
–The operative word, here, is “exactly”. Coz it seems Mr Hodges was attempting to show his hands. Whether that was reflexive or a result of a command can’t be determined at this point. It was when he reached to put away his money that Officer Evans fired without warning.
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” but this cop reacted the way any resonable person would.”
Any “reasonable” but untrained person unfamiliar with department procedure, i suppose.
No, I want the cop to have the common sense to shoot when there is a CLEAR and present danger. Not because he’s scared and and has an itchy trigger finger. You must be the type to shoot first and ask questions later. You sir and your cowboy antics are what’s wrong with this country.
So moving your hand is now justification to execute someone? That cop is a pussy who shouldn’t be a cop.
The only People Police Serve and Protect are the People Screwing us over Daily
The police do make mistakes, and I will be sure to let them know when they do, but this guy did something stupid and got shot. Even if the cop was mistaken, the guy should not have put his hand behind him and just followed the instructions given to him by the cop. He got shot for being stupid.
whats wrong with you , these idiots murder people every day! Pigs!
What’s wrong with you? Do you think it was a smart move to put his hand behind him like that? Why did he feel the sudden urge to put his money away when a cop is pointing a gun at him? Are you really so dense that you would wait to see if he was going to produce a weapon? If you thought someone was going to hurt you, then you pointed a weapon at them, and then they reached behind their back, you would just wait to see if he was getting a weapon? This guy made a dumb move, plain and simple. Cops do some crazy and bad crap but the cop was right in this case. I would have done the same thing.
I’m sure you would have acted super clam and collected when a moron with a badge has a gun pointed at you you will stop and remember every little thing. Not all cops are bad this one shouldn’t be allowed to have a gun. Plain and simple thank god no one died because of his actions.
The Internet Idiots are out in force tonight! If I was a cop and thought this person was a suspect and this person reached behind his back, I would have shot him. Why? Because it looked as though he was reaching for a weapon. Since I’m not going to wait to find out (the guy was already retreating instead of standing still) if he does have a gun, I’m going to fire. Because if he does produce a weapon a firefight will occur and others might get hurt. I’m not taking that chance. If someone is robbing someone you know/love and had a gun at their head and you have the drop on the robber, do you just wait to see if the robber will flee/shoot your loved one or do you put a nice hole in their head and not risk the life of your loved one? ‘Wait and see’ will get you killed.
You would make a “great” cop.
thank god you arent a police officer
I would have. You see, I encounter this often because I open-carry. What I don’t do is make any action that looks or appears to be a grab for a weapon. I already know there are a lot of police with itchy trigger fingers and I’m not going to give them a reason to shoot me. The smart move is to live long enough to sue them for a civil rights violation.
The grey in grey didn’t even have anything in his right hand to put away… you can see him put his empty hand up in second view
He was clearly reaching for the non-existent weapon. Right?
oh yea i forgot the part in the article where he reached for a gun
Bull, murderers, useless thugs ,wast of our money.
It’s a shame he didn’t produce a weapon, and leave that murderous thug cop on the floor with blood spilling out of a hole in his head onto the bright white tile floor.
So doing something stupid is now an executable crime?
YES, you DO have something wrong with you. Get help.
When did I say that? Doing something that looks like a gun grab while a cop has a bead on you will get you shot. Not everyone that gets shot, dies. Being stupid can get you shot.
Right because some random goon in a costume comes into a room and points a gun at you, and your intimidate natural reaction is to think extremely clearly and become completely servile to a guy who has every intention of killing you with the look of blood lust in his eyes.
You only saw a fragment of the video for starters. Two, you don’t know what happen outside the gas station prior to the shooting. We know nothing about this incident. And yet, just that little segment may have that cop convicted, because of public opinion, and the slip and fall lawyers will be all over it… Just maybe the cop saw him commit another crime, and had recognized him from another incident. You can say just about anything. But, this little strip of video tape, has shown just one perception to which the majority people will jump on like a bunch of fleas jumping onto a dogs back!
Have you HEARD of some other crime this man (Hodges) may have been suspected of?
Yet, here you are accusing people of not knowing about something you allege MAY have happened “outside the gas station”. AND completely contriving another purely SPECULATIVE incident.
you sir are a hypocrite, the cop was wrong point blank period police officers need the book thrown at them just like an ordinary civilian and not a slap on the wrist but we all know how this will end the cop gets off with a slap on the wrist and a paid vacation
Robert… First off, I called it the way anyone as a juror would in a court of law… Two, if you decide to call me a name. Then, say I’m wrong… Because, the context you’re using this word that you describe is definitely in the wrong context! You may want to take up a course in English 101, Learn some grammar before uttering such words… And, to save you some embarrassment the next time you write… I’ll give you some knowledge about the name you called me. A Hypocrite is a person like our dear President whom says “That Affordable Healthcare is not a tax law!” Well, what are we faced with now!?!! Got the picture?
Check the records, ZERO Vegas police have ever been found in the wrong for shooting people and they do shoot a lot of people.
A book the size of War and Peace could be written about crimes committed by Vegas police. It could be titled, “Lawless in Las Vegas”
Had this happened in Canada, the cop would have gone to jail for at least 4 months to think about what he did.
The man in grey HAD NOTHING in his right hand… Suppose your the cop, a man you think murdered someone uses an empty hand to grab something in his back pocket and pulls it out in a textbook firearm draw manner. It even looks like he had something in his hand. Cop did nothing wrong here, find real abuse before you bark up that tree.
Your right. Plus he was black. That negro should have known better than to carry anything other than a bright blaze neon “safety orange” wallet and narrate his every action to the police officer. How dare he just go about his business at the store without bowing down to one of the government’s precious enforcement agents?
He was putting away his money. IF he were reaching for a weapon, WHY WAS NONE FOUND??
NO ONE IS CLAIMING HE WAS REACHING FOR A WEAPON YOU MORON!! It appeared he was reaching for a weapon and any smart person wouldn’t wait to find out if he is or not. Go read other comments I’ve made on police brutality video’s and you would find I am no boot-licker. This guy made a move that looked like a classic weapon grab and got shot for it. He did something he shouldn’t have done and he paid the price. It has nothing to do with his color and if you think so, you are the biggest racist here. It doesn’t matter what his color is or what he looks like, he made what looked like a weapon grab and got shot for it. If all we had on this was the video and no details, anyone with working eyes and a brain would think the guy was reaching for a weapon.
Then WHY was he reaching toward his hip pocket if there were no advantage for him?? He CLEARLY wasn’t reaching for anything that could have been a threat to the officer.
The video is so goddamn grainy that you can’t tell, one way or the other, whether he had anything in his hand..
You:
“NO ONE IS CLAIMING HE WAS REACHING FOR A WEAPON YOU MORON!!”
But you, yourself, make it clear THAT’S the obvious implication. “MORON”
You:
“This guy made a move that looked like a classic weapon grab”…
You don’t comprehend well, do you? The fact of the matter is we don’t know what he was doing. You and morons like you keep claiming he couldn’t have been reaching for a weapon because he didn’t have one. Okay, but how does the officer know that? We aren’t claiming he was reaching for a weapon, we are saying it looks as though he couldn’t have been making a grab for a weapon. The officer doesn’t know he doesn’t have a weapon but has to assume the worst. The guy was retreating, I’m sure the officer was telling him to stop. The guy was reaching for his back pocket, I’m sure the officer was telling him to keep his hands up. Even if the officer wasn’t, it generally isn’t a good idea to put your hands where a cop pointing a gun at you can’t see them. This cop did nothing wrong and appears to follow the text-book on this matter. I am no friend to bad cops and it seems you and others just hate cops no matter what.
your logic is flawed just have common sense here why would someone reach for a weapon when a police officer has one in your face knowing you will get shot way before you can even pull it out why dont you fault the police officer on bad judgement before faulting the victim is it because hes black? you expect cops to react better and handle situatuons better because its their job to you expect doctors to perform their duties to the fullest extent of their knowlege because its their job to i dont have a any ill feelings towards police officers but right is right and the police officer was wrong point blank period
You logic is non-existent. So, you are telling me, that no one has ever tried to draw a weapon when a cop is pointing one at them? Not only was this guy retreating, he made what looked like a grab for a gun. If you are stupid enough to wait to see if a weapon is produced, then you are stupid enough to let someone shoot you.
The officer was in the wrong here, Genius. He CAME IN, pointing his gun at a man in a case of MISTAKEN IDENTITY. Would he have been so bone-fucking-stupid, and aggressive if he hadn’t mistaken Hodges for someone else?? He should have given a verbal command to Mr. Hodges, rather than just opening fire on him.
REMEMBER- the mistaken identity was the fault of the officer.
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And i would like to make this observation:
You seem plenty eager to cut the officer in this video some slack for making hasty judgements based on some PERCEIVED threat to his safety. While at the same time, completely IGNORING the fact that it was Mr. Hodges – an UNTRAINED, UNARMED civilian – who had a loaded gun in the hands of what appears to be, an emotionally volatile police officer pointed at him, at near point blank range.
You seem to have no trouble identifying with the police officer in this case – while at the same time, seem to be completely unable to identify at all with the unarmed and innocent victim of this shooting.
You are assuming a lot from this video that has no audio. We don’t know if a verbal command was given, but it seems unlikely the cop just busted in with a weapon pointed at the suspect and never said a word. We know in hind-sight this was mistaken identity. The officer thought the man was a suspect and would have been cleared after producing ID. I can’t identify with the victim? I guess I’m just not dumb enough to put my hands where an officer can’t see them. I open carry a pistol and I have about 3-4 encounters with police a year. One deputy even disarmed me. He came up, told me to keep my hands up, then took my weapon. I didn’t try to stop him, I didn’t back away, I didn’t put my keys in my pocket. See how easy that is?
Let me try this another way. Say you are asleep and you hear someone in your home. You grab your shotgun (unless you are a Liberal that won’t keep one) and go find out what the noise is. You find someone going through your stuff in a downstairs closet. You yell at them ‘I have a gun’ and they turn at you and you see them raise their arm up as if to point something in your direction. Do you fire or do you wait to see if they are going to fire or if they are just waving hello or putting their hand out in a defensive manner?
“You are assuming a lot from this video that has no audio. We don’t know if a verbal command was given, but it seems unlikely the cop just busted in with a weapon pointed at the suspect and never said a word.”
–I am not assuming anything from the video. I am taking the TESTIMONY of Mr Hodges.
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You are making a false comparison in trying to equate this situation – which occurred in a place of public business – with a burglary. In a burglary, the person in house has no business being there in the middle of the night. He has gained illegal and unauthorized entry into your private dwelling. You can safely assume he is not there on legitimate business.
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You are only fueling the case for your inability to identify with the victim, here, in this instance. In your encounters with police it is OBVIOUS that you may be threat them. It is obvious to you, and it is obvious to the officer —- YOU ARE ARMED.
Mr. Hodges was not armed. He may have not been thinking straight while a gun was shoved in his face for no good reason. But that’s no reason he should be shot. Civilians are NOT trained for these encounters. The police are SUPPOSED to be.
By the way- I have not alluded to, nor even hinted at Mr Hodges color in any manner or fashion. Why YOU would mention his color is beyond me.
You aren’t the only person I’m replying too. Try reading other comments.
Your comment concerning Mr Hodges color was directed to ME.
The only incompetent thing about this video is those who clearly ignore the situation at hand and just look for ways to bash cops.
Keep licking those boots. Maybe next time it will be you or your family member summarily shot at a gas station for doing absolutely nothing wrong.
Please explain to me EXACTLY what we are ignoring here.
The man has got to know his limitations!
I think too many cops are scared of the position they think they might be or are in. I wonder if better PR training (how to relate to a suspect etc) and mandatory bulletproof vests would alter their reactions….
I’m not trying to justify the shooting, I can’t stand it when cops shoot people, but that guy is angling his body away from the cop and putting his hand into his back pocket. Why is that? It would be one thing if the guy had both his hands in the air and the cop shot him…
The problem here is that the cop pulled out a gun without confirming that this was the suspect, though even if he were a suspect, he shouldn’t have pulled his gun out, but merely could have just had a dialogue to see who he is in a non threatening manner.
Police are out of control all over this nation…why? Because they are cowards, they are more concerned for their safety than those they claim they want to protect. How many thousands of cops are there…how many actually get killed? As compared to the average citizen?
So the phrase “Freeze, put your hands where I can see them” then “SLOWLY OR I WILL SHOOT”. Means absolutely nothing to some people.
I understand that the cop wants to be safe, but you must give people that opportunity instead of just shooting them down. And WAY TOO Many innocent people are being gunned down by police officers recently.
This is caused by pussification of men. A cop afraid of confrontation. Thanks progressives!
Apparently, in your view – there are no men who are inherently pussies, just people who are made pussies by the fault of progressives?
I sortta think it is professions which offers a person to be a part of an armed gang – often using sheer numbers and overwhelming force – which attract people who are pussies, or have something they think such a profession would allow them to “prove” that they are not.
In actuality, i suspect these people have a need to keep proving, and re-proving to themselves, that they are not the people they secretly suspect they are.
So progressive educational policies don’t pussify boys? That grow up to become cops. That shoot unarmed people daily, taze old ladies, or shoot kids with toy guns. All because they were brought up to be afraid of everything? Okay well I must have imagined all those stories. Thanks for showing us all the selective logic you employ.
It is YOU who is exhibiting, not only selective reasoning, but selective attention as well.
useless eater:
“Apparently, in your view – there are no men who are inherently pussies, just people who are made pussies by the fault of progressives?”
–If you will note, i am not denying that education and upbringing have no part in what you allege is the “pussifying boys”. That, it seems to me, would be ridiculous. It would be tantamount to saying, parental and societal influence has no role in establishing character. I am objecting to your blanket accusation that “progressives” are responsible for its entirety.
Here is yet another shining example of my point.
“LOUISIANA, MO – Louisiana police tasered a father three
times when he attempted to rescue his son from dying in a house fire.
The family is outraged that the officer wouldn’t attempt to help the
father save the child, instead of shocking him into submission.”
“LOUISIANA, MO – Louisiana police tasered a father three
times when he attempted to rescue his son from dying in a house fire.
The family is outraged that the officer wouldn’t attempt to help the
father save the child, instead of shocking him into submission.”
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Every single day there are more and more stories like this. Anyone who denies this is more common place now after 40 years of progressive influence, is wilfully ignorant to logic and blind to reality.
The site wouldn’t let me post the link, but feel free to copy and paste into google. The story will come up, and many more i am sure.
And they call yourself cops