Usually, right after a critical incident such as this, our police officers provide the scene supervisor with a brief statement. Sometimes this statement is called a “public safety” statement. In this brief statement, the officer tells his/her supervisor:
- A brief synopsis of what just happened
- If there are any outstanding suspects and where they may have went as well as descriptions
- Who is hurt and where they are
- Approximately how many rounds were fired and which direction the officer fired his weapon
- Where the officer thinks evidence may be and where the crime scene may be
From this statement detectives are able to glean enough information to begin their investigation.
The officer is quickly removed from the scene and detectives immediately process evidence from that officer which includes: seizing the firearm, seizing all of the officer’s equipment, photographing the officer, processing any physical and microscopic evidence on the officer, and seizing the officer’s uniform.
An officer-involved shooting investigation is similar to other criminal investigations. Usually, a detective will briefly speak to a victim or suspect to get an initial idea of what has happened but not undertake a complete and detailed formal interview at the front of the investigation. The detective will wait until he/she has had the time to process and understand all the evidence. With all the information at hand, the detective then knows what questions to ask, understands what details are important to solicit, and can test the veracity of the formal interview against the physical evidence and witness statements.