Officer who Shot Toy Rifle-Holding Teen Had Pulled Gun During Traffic Stop a Few Months Ago

Sometimes reckless officer behavior that doesn’t kill someone
can be a sign, as
reported in the UK Daily Mail:

A driver has come forward saying the deputy who shot dead a
13-year-old California boy after mistaking his fake AK-47 as real
pulled a gun on him also, after he failed to signal a lane change
during a carpool. 

Jeff Westbrook, 57, of Santa Rosa said he was mistreated by
Deputy Erick Gelhaus after being pulled over Aug. 21 in Cotati, so
much so that at one point he asked Gelhaus: ‘Sir, is there
something wrong with you?’

‘I felt like I was watching somebody I needed to help,’ Mr
Westbrook, a program manager at an information technology company,
told CBS of Gelhaus.

‘This was not right. He did not manage this correctly.’

Gelhaus shot Andy Lopez seven times at a Santa Rosa parking
after recieving reports of a suspicious and believing his toy
machine gun was real.

Mr Westbrook was pulled over by Gelhaus for not using his
indicator.

He said he pulled into a shoulder, but offered to move the car
forward because there was not much room next to the driver door for
Gelhaus.

When the car started moving, Gelhaus is alleged to have drawn
his gun.

‘It was about a foot from by face,’ Westbrook said.

‘I’ve never had a gun pointed at me before.’

Reason on the shooting of Andy
Lopez.