Pistol-whipped cop didn’t shoot suspect for fear of backlash

The Alabama police officer who went viral after he was pistol-whipped with his own gun last week said he didn't shoot his attacker because he didn't want to make headlines as the nation's newest vilified cop.

The Birmingham detective, whose name has not yet been released, paused while a suspect attacked him during a traffic stop because he feared the country-wide backlash he might receive for killing a black man, the head of the local police union said Friday. 

They're losing these confrontations," he added. "He who hesitates is lost." Images of the bloodied officer lying limp and face-down on the ground quickly went viral after witnesses dispersed them on social media, where the wounded deputy was heavily mocked by cop critics.

"Pistol whipped his ass to sleep," one Facebook user wrote. The plainclothes Birmingham cop was investigating a string of burglaries when he stopped a GMC Yukon and was attacked by the driver who immediately got out of his vehicle, authorities said. The suspect, 34-year-old Janard Cunningham, allegedly stole the detective's gun during the struggle and clubbed him repeatedly with it.

"Local law enforcement officers are walking on egg shells because they're so hesitant of how to interact because of what's taking place in the media," police Sgt. Heath Boackle, president of the Fraternal Order of Police said.

The officer was just trying to diffuse the situation," Boackle, 40, said.

"Mr. Cunningham sucker-punched the officer, immediately knocking him to the ground and gained control of his weapon and beat him until he was unconscious."

The detective, a six-year veteran on the force, had hesitated before Cunningham dealt the devastating blow, even as the suspect was quickly inching closer, the union president said.

"If the officer would have pulled his weapon, we would be talking about a totally different story," Boackle said.

"They're so afraid that what's going to be portrayed of them isn't going to be the whole truth of the encounter."

Cunningham, who has a violent criminal history, including an assault conviction in 2006, initially fled the scene, but he was quickly caught and charged with attempted murder in the attack. He appeared in court Tuesday, but his hearing was postponed because he didn't have an attorney.

The deputy, who suffered a concussion, is recovering at home after being treated at UAB Hospital, said Boackle, a 19-year veteran with the Birmingham Police Department.
"He's not going to be back at work for some time," the union president said. "He's still under the doctor's supervision."



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