The Garland Texas police department fired officer Patrick Tuter for killing an unarmed suspect, shooting at him 41 times following a car chase last summer, according to Associated Press.
Tuter claims that he feared for his life while pursuing Michael Vincent Allen. Their investigation "revealed that the 7-year veteran had rammed his cruiser into Allen's truck, cornered him and twice reloaded his semi-automatic gun while firing 41 shots at him," KXAS reported.
Three bullets struck Allen, and the father of a 4-year-old girl died at a cul-de-sac in Mesquite where the 30-minute chase came to an end, CBS News reported. Allen, 25, was wanted for allegedly fleeing police days before the Aug. 31 shooting.
"He did not deserve the death sentence," Allen's mother Stephanie Allen said to KXAS. "Patrick Tuter was not judge and jury, and that's what he made himself out to be."
A Garland police spokesman said Tuter was fired for violating the department's guidelines for pursuit and use of force, The Dallas Morning News reported.
Police in Mesquite passed along the findings of their investigation to the Dallas County district attorney's office. A grand jury will decide whether to indict Tuter, KTVT reported.
Monica Zabrano, Allen's 22-year-old girlfriend, said after the shooting that she believed police specifically targeted Allen.
"I know Michael," Zabrano told the Dallas News. "He would not try to hit a police car. Violence was not in his nature."
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