Dashcam Video Released in Police Shooting of 70-Year-Old Man Reaching For His Cane

Last month, Terrence Knox, a sheriff’s deputy in York County,
South Carolina, shot
70-year-old Bobby Canipe during a traffic stop over expired
plates. Canipe reached into his truck bed for his cane, and Knox
fired several shots at Canipe, hitting him once in the lung. Canipe
survived the shooting, and Knox was put on paid leave. This week,
dashcam video of the incident was released. Watch below:

Prior to the shooting Knox does not sound like he said anything
specific to Canpie, except a “hey, sir, sir” that gets louder and
turns into an “ohhh” that indicates Knox believed Canipe had
reached for a gun. This appears to contradict what police said at a
press conference after the shooting, that Canipe exited his vehicle
despite being told not to. An order not to exit the vehicle is not
heard in the dashcam video.

Knox is heard telling Canipe to drop the gun only
after firing several shots at him. He realizes his mistake after
Canipe’s response (inaudible to me) to the order to drop the gun.
Knox is
heard sobbing as he tried to help Canipe, promising “to God it
looked like a shotgun.” His response is noteworthy for how rarely
it seems to happen. Nevertheless, the county’s sheriff, Bruce
Bryant, continues to
defend the shooting, insisting Knox had no way to tell the old
man wasn’t reaching for a shotgun. Bryant also said at a press
conference this week that in Knox’s position he would have done the
same thing, a troubling statement in view of Knox’s apparent regret
in the moments after the shooting.

The state’s Law Enforcement Division is investigating the
incident.