Legend Smalls

1-year-old boy Legend Smalls has been in intensive care since early March after he was shot by police at a gas station in the American city of Houston, Texas. The suspect, pursued by police officers, climbed into Smalls’ mother’s car to steal the vehicle and take passengers hostage. The child himself was in the back seat of the car.

The police realized that the suspect was about to steal the woman’s car as he was running away from pursuit. According to law enforcement officers, the fugitive had a gun, which he was ordered to throw away. According to the police, the offender refused to comply, so the officer decided to shoot to kill, as a result of which he not only shot the suspect, but also seriously wounded the child in the back seat of the car.

After the case went viral, the actions of the police were harshly criticized. Even if the officer might not have noticed the child in the car, he was perfectly aware of the presence of a woman in the car. Despite this, he decided to use firearms.

At the time of the investigation, the shooting policeman was sent to administrative leave. The media learned that this officer had several disciplinary offenses during his 15-year history of service in the police. A lawyer for the Smalls family said a lawsuit against the Houston Police Department would be filed shortly. The child underwent several complex surgeries, as a result of which several fragments of the skull were removed. The policeman’s body camera video has not yet been released by the police.