This is the bizarre moment a police officer opened fire on an unarmed and handcuffed suspect in his own patrol car after an acorn fell on his vehicle.
Officer Jesse Hernandez of Okaloosa County, Florida, thought he was being shot when he heard the innocent acorn fall onto the hood of his car, and an internal investigation found his use of force was not justified.
A shocking video released this week showed how close his absurd reaction came to killing the man inside his car, named Marquis Jackson, 22.
Jackson was accused of stealing a car and sending threatening messages to his girlfriend, so Hernandez handcuffed him and placed him in the vehicle at 9 a.m. on November 12.
Deputy Jesse Hernandez of Okaloosa County, Florida, thought he was being shot when he heard the innocent acorn fall onto the hood of his car, and an internal investigation found his use of force was not justified.
A shocking video released this week showed how close his absurd reaction was to shooting the man inside his car, named Marquis Jackson, 22 (pictured being arrested).
During the investigation, Hernandez was sat down and forced to look at the body camera. As he watched frame by frame, he asked the researcher: ‘Acorn?’ They answered: ‘Acorn’
Before the shooting began, a barely audible sound of an acorn hitting the car is heard, which the officer then mistakenly mistakes for gunshots.
Hernandez is seen rolling dramatically on the ground, yelling “shots fired” four times and struggling to get to his feet as he began shooting at his vehicle, shattering the rear window.
Then he shouted: “They have hit me.” No shots had been fired, so he was not injured. Her partner, Sergeant Beth Roberts, began shooting her firearm at Jackson, who was still in the back seat.
After the ordeal, Hernandez resigned while he was under investigation for his handling of the incident.
During the investigation, Hernandez was sat down and forced to look at the body camera. As he watched frame by frame, he asked the researcher: ‘Acorn?’ They answered: ‘Acorn.’
Sheriff Aden said in a statement: “We are very grateful that Mr. Jackson was not injured and we have no reason to believe that former Deputy Hernandez acted with malice.”
“While his actions were ultimately not justified, we believe he felt his life was in immediate danger and his response was based on the totality of the circumstances surrounding this fear.
Jackson said the ordeal damaged him for life, as he was forced to stand there and play dead, while praying that one of the careless bullets wouldn’t hit him.
The suspect said, “I haven’t been the same since and I don’t think this feeling I have will ever change.” I really think I’m damaged for life!’
“Just as we have an obligation to protect our officers so they can safely return home to their families, authorities have the same obligation to any citizen who is being investigated for a crime.”
The investigation determined that Roberts’ use of deadly force was objectively reasonable and she was exonerated.
Jackson said the ordeal damaged him for life, as he was forced to lie there and play dead, while praying that one of the careless bullets would not hit him.
He wrote in a Facebook post: ‘I was searched several times, then illegally handcuffed and placed in the back seat of the police car while restrained with seat belts.
‘A few moments later I hear an officer shout “They’ve hit me, he’s armed”! As soon as that was announced, multiple shots were fired at me while I was trapped in the back seat.
“All I could do was lean over and play dead to avoid being shot in the head.
‘I was scared to death and knew the only thing I could trust was God! I ignored everything and prayed! Windows were breaking all the time as bullets continued to fly through me.
After the ordeal, Hernandez resigned while he was under investigation for his handling of the incident.
Body camera of officer crouching to the ground, saying he was hit, when he wasn’t
“I was lucky not to be shot or hurt physically, but mentally, I’m not fine.
‘I haven’t been the same since and I don’t think this feeling I have will ever change. I really think I’m damaged for life!’
He said the officers told him to put his hands up, which he couldn’t do because he was handcuffed.
Jackson said, after the bullets stopped firing, “A few minutes later, they raided the car and threw me on the ground to search me for any injuries.”
‘When I got up, they took me to the ambulance. At that moment I saw how many officers there were. But the image I can’t get out of my head is seeing how badly my mom was hurt/crying right before I got into the ambulance!’
Jackson was not charged with anything and was released after being booked and placed in a cell.