A 17-year-old boy who was shot several times by a rookie cop as he sat in his car eating a McDonald’s cheeseburger is currently on life support after several of his organs were punctured during the shooting.
The family of Erik Cantu says the teenager has had to undergo several surgeries to repair major organs that were damaged by gunfire, according to attorney Brian Powers, who spoke to DailyMail.com
Cantu’s lungs are effectively being operated by the life support machine and he remains under sedation while his body takes the time it needs to recover.
Powers said that Cantu faces a long road to recovery but that his family is thankful for the prayers they have received.
The rookie San Antonio cop, James Brennand, 25, who shot Cantu, who was unarmed, has since been fired.
Brennand is a married former soldier who was commended for his firearm skills while in the police academy.
Erik Cantu was hospitalized at the nearby University Hospital following the shooting. Following the shooting, Brennand administered CPR while he waited for paramedics.
‘Erik and our family would like to thank all of our family, friends, the great city of San Antonio, and everyone around the world that has sent their heartfelt prayers and blessings,’ Powers said in a statement.
‘Erik is still in critical condition and is being monitored closely. Surgeries were performed to repair injuries to a few major organs as a result of the penetration of multiple bullets. Erik is currently on a life support system that is keeping his lungs operating and remains on a vast amount of sedatives to hopefully ease the discomfort and pain.
‘He has a great medical staff that has been working diligently around the clock to provide him great care. Erik is struggling and we know that recovery will not be easy for him. Every moment is critical and the uncertainly is quite painful. We ask that everyone please keep Erik in your thoughts and prayers.’
Last Wednesday, the San Antonio Police Department acted swiftly in firing Brennand.
At the time of his termination, he was still in his probationary period — which means he’s not entitled to an appeal — and had been on the job for just seven months.
Law enforcement initially laid charges against the teenager for evading arrest and assault on a police officer, but those have since been dropped.
Officer James Brennand, who has since been fired, graduated from the San Antonio Police Training Academy in 2021. On his LinkedIn page, Brennand says that he is ‘in Law Enforcement, Operational Planning, Active DoD Secret Clearance, Military Operations, and Security
According to his LinkedIn page, Brennand previously served in the US Army as a military dog handler. He enlisted in 2016. Brennand was stationed outside of Seattle.
Under Texas law, due to the fact that the teen had charges pending against him, his family was only permitted to be by his bedside for limited periods of time. Prior to the release of the video, Brennand maintained he only opened fire on Cantu after the teenager hit him with his car. The new video shows otherwise. Brennand was called to the McDonald’s after a reported disturbance unrelated to Cantu. When the officer arrived at the scene, he apparently mistook the teens’ car for a vehicle that evaded him the previous night.
That car had sped away from Brennand when he attempted to pull it over as its license plates did not match the car.
Brennand approached Cantu’s maroon car and called for cover, but quickly tried to take matters into his own hands and opened the car door. Police have not confirmed whether Cantu’s car was stolen. The video shows the moment Brennand surprised Cantu and demanded the teen get out of the car. As Cantu questioned the officer’s orders, he attempted to put the car in reverse and the door catches Brennand.
Brennand quickly opened fire and shot into the driver’s side of the vehicle as Cantu reversed, and the bodycam footage caught the cop shouting ‘shots fired!’ into his radio. Cantu pulled out of the parking spot and tried to drive away, but Brennand continued shooting into the back of the vehicle. The teens were then found outside the vehicle a block away from the shooting.
The former police officer has one child with his wife, Danielle Arnold, Arnold is also a dog handler with the US Army
Speaking at a press briefing on Friday, Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales confirmed that upon reviewing the video, his office instructed the police department to drop the charges against Cantu.
Gonzales also updated the public on Cantu’s condition saying: ‘This young man is in critical but stable condition in the hospital. There was some issue with his parents being able to have extended contact with him. I understand it’s a touch-and-go situation.
He added: ‘Exercising my discretion, what I decided to do for now is dismiss this case so that his family can be by his side.
With regards to possible charges against Officer Brennand, Gonzales said: ‘That case is pending. We will have to wait until SAPD files the entire case in our office. We will then review it.’
He went on: ‘My concern right now is with the health of this young man, with his parent’s ability to be by his side, and so that’s why we have done what we have done. It’ll take some time for SAPD to file the complete case with us and then we’ll make the decision.’
‘I commend the San Antonio Police Department for taking the action that they did for terminating this individual because, clearly, there was concern on their part. It is commendable that members of that department saw fit to terminate this individual,’ the district attorney added.
There is a possibility that Brennand could face criminal charges.
