South Carolina police officer Quincy Smith was pursuing a suspect in an attempted theft when the suspect opened fire on him from point-blank range, striking him four times.
The entire exchange was captured on shocking body camera footage and released after the shooter, 29-year-old Malcolm Orr of Estill, S.C., was convicted of attempted murder and possessing a weapon in a violent crime. His sentence was 35 years in prison.
Officer Smith was responding to a call regarding attempted theft of groceries from store customers when he noticed Orr walking from the store.
Orr walked with one hand in his pocket and the other holding a cell phone to his ear. Smith verbally confronted Orr, but Orr ignored requests to stop walking. It seems like Smith wanted to discuss the matter with Orr peacefully, but Orr refused to cooperate. Orr continued walked and Officer Smith followed him, issuing warnings about stopping or getting sparked with the taser. Orr would neither stop nor remove his hand from his pocket. He continued walking and ignoring direct commands from Smith.
Then Orr pulled a 9 mm handgun and fires eight shots at Smith, striking him four times. Smith was hit and scrambled back to his police vehicle for safety, using his radio to call for assistance. Orr fled the scene as Officer Smith bled profusely from gunshot wounds and felt as though he was about to take his last breath. Smith told the dispatcher to “tell my family I love them.”
Orr was eventually caught and Officer Smith received medical attention.
“Bullets broke two bones in Smith’s arm, severed a vein in his neck, and passed through his upper torso,” CBS reports.
“If but not for the grace of God and some very good doctors, this would not only have been a murder case, but a death penalty case,” Stone said in a statement.
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