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‘Cop Begs For His Life’ Before Being Killed During Routine Traffic Stop Caught On Dashcam
‘Please don’t shoot me again’: Desperate moment cop begs for his life before being killed during routine traffic stop is caught on dashcam
PUBLISHED: 03:52 EST, 8 August 2012 | UPDATED: 11:13 EST, 8 August 2012
An Arkansas police officer who was fatally shot during a traffic stop last year can be heard pleading for his life with his attacker in dashboard video released yesterday.
The 20-minute video, shot from Trumann police officer Jonathan Schmidt’s squad car, shows how quickly the April 2011 night traffic stop turned deadly.
Jerry Lard, who was a passenger in the back seat of the stopped car, was convicted last month of capital murder for killing Schmidt. He has been sentenced to death.
Scroll down for edited version of video
Routine check: Officer Jonathan Schmidt can be seen questioning a suspect during a simple insurance check in April last year
Attention to detail: Schmidt continues his stop-and-search duty. The officer’s killer, Jerry Lard, sits in the back seat of the vehicle in the background
Trumann Police Chief Chad Henson said he wanted his officers to learn from the incident and he planned to increase training for night traffic stops.
Chief Henson said: “[Schmidt] will be our greatest teacher and our trainer. He’s pushing us forward, so with that we’ll be better for it.’
The video shows Schmidt carrying out a routine check on a vehicle he suspected was uninsured.
After handcuffing and questioning the driver for an unrelated warrant, Schmidt asks Lard for his name and date of birth. A little over a minute later, as Schmidt opens the back passenger door, a hand can be seen reaching out and firing at the officer’s face.
Muzzle flash: Sparks from Lard’s handgun can be seen in this shot as he springs from the car and opens fire on the officers. Schmidt was hit in the chin, neck and wrist
People talk trash about our police officers,i get sick of it,they do a thankless job for very little money,i got total respect for our guys and gals in blue,bless thier hearts the vast majority of them are good people that just want to raise thier families and go home safe at nite,no different than anyone else,stories like this make me mad,i hope his family is ok,i know he is in a better place an angel to be sure.