Brooklyn Traffic Stop Becomes Fatal

Yesterday afternoon, a police chase in the Flatlands section ended with the car's driver being shot dead by the police and a police officer injured. Two plainclothes cops pulled over a maroon SUV that had been speeding at 90 MPH and ran a red light. When the officers went to the car, they saw the driver holding a 9mm gun. Here's the police's preliminary account, from Newsday:

The sergeant and officer were riding in an unmarked Chevrolet Impala when they spotted the Mitsubishi driving through a red light. Police quickly pulled the SUV over at the intersection, with the officer approaching it from the driver's side, the sergeant from the other.

The officer saw a gun inside the car and struggled with the driver for control of it, police said. The SUV backed into a traffic-signal pole, knocking it over, then lurched forward, crashing into a parked car. The officer was pinned in between.

The officer then fired at the vehicle. Police would not say whether shots were fired from within the SUV, but said that a loaded 9-mm pistol was found inside after the incident.

Butler, who had four children, was declared dead at the hospital while the passenger who was shot in the leg is in stable condition. Butler's in-law told WABC 7, "I don't know what happened, and I'm not going to speculate what happened. But, I know my son's uncle is dead and cop shot him dead." Another family member said the car was not Butler's but a friend's.

The injured police officer had injuries to both legs. The police is investigating the shooting and said that so far, the cop's actions seemed justified. The NYPD's statement: "A preliminary investigation indicates the shooting was within department guidelines, which permit the use of deadly force when the officer or another person is threatened with death or serious injury."