“In this case we had several calls that came in where the officers were of the opinion that there was an active shooter there. Someone who was actually taking shots.
“The officer pulls up. The description of the suspect matches the description of the individual that he sees. He sees an object in this person’s hand, doesn’t know what it is, it’s dark, there’s a distance between the two of them, can’t tell exactly what it is. He sees this object come up. It’s raised up toward him. He feels it’s potentially a weapon, that his life is in danger, and he takes the shot.â€
Edwards said, “Any time an officer feels his life is in danger or another person’s life is in danger, they have the ability to protect themselves or a member of the public.â€
KCCI thought someone was shooting out windows and called 911.
“A dispatcher asked if anyone had been shot, and a KCCI employee said ‘Not yet,’†Edwards said.
The initial description provided to police was a white male wearing a gray T-shirt and carrying a gun. As officers arrived, cameraman Vaughn was standing on a patio outside KCCI, holding a cell phone. He motioned to officers in an effort to point out Parish’s whereabouts. Vaughn, who is a white male and was wearing a gray T-shirt, matched the suspect’s description.â€
Grimes fired a single shot at Vaughn, Edwards said. The shot missed.