Officer fired for shooting at man during routine traffic stop. He was taking out his wallet. (VIDEO)

by Austin Petersen

AUSTIN, TX – A Travis County grand jury declined to indict Officer Justin Boehm in an incident that occurred May 8th where Boehm shot at a man during a routine traffic stop. Officer Boehm was very clear in his instructions to James Barton, not to exit the vehicle, but Barton could not hear the officer properly. He exited his vehicle to produce his identification after two verbal warnings.

The officer fired. 

Luckily, he missed. But Officer Boehm was terminated for discharging his weapon in such a careless manner. Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo has been on a bit of a firing spree since he took office in July of 2007. Acevedo did not hesitate to dismiss Boehm after a full investigation was completed. “We take our duties very seriously we don’t look at the way the wind is blowing, we look at the facts,” said Chief Acevedo. He has fired over 300 officers since he began. A Citizen Review board is looking at the case. 

 The plaintiff has joined with the Texas Civil Rights Project to file a federal lawsuit against the Austin Police Department. They believe that the officer violated Barton’s constitutional rights. The plaintiff seeks $12,700 for lawyer fees, medical bills and an unspecified amount for punitive damages.

Austin Petersen is a homegrown Missourian with a lifelong passion for liberty. He grew up on a horse farm in Peculiar, Missouri and went on to attend Missouri State University, graduating with a degree in the Fine Arts. After developing a career in media in both New York City and Washington, D.C., he returned to Kansas City, MO, the city he now calls home. In 2016, Petersen appeared on the national stage as a candidate for president of the United States. He took second place in the crowded Libertarian primary behind Governor Gary Johnson and ahead of cyber security maverick John McAfee. During his campaign, Petersen earned many high-profile conservative endorsements, including Mary Matalin, Erick Erickson and Leon Wolf of RedState.com. Petersen also brings decades of professional experience in a wide variety of fields, from content production and media to business and political activism. He is the owner and chief executive of Stonegait LLC, a consulting firm specializing in photo and video services. He was also the director of production at FreedomWorks and an associate producer for Judge Andrew Napolitano’s show “Freedom Watch” on the Fox Business Network. Additionally, Petersen has a national following as a commentator and professional pundit. He is the founder of The Libertarian Republic, a powerful online news source for the public that receives an average of 1 million unique visits monthly and whose podcast, The Freedom Report, receives an average of one million monthly downloads. He is also a frequent contributor on television, appearing on Fox News, Fox Business, CNN, MSNBC and on dozens of local radio shows.