The officer absolutely, without a doubt WAS dragged by the suspect's vehicle. It doesn't matter what the prosecutor has said on this matter, either. It is simply a fact based on the video:
Here's an image I've seen circulating around which provides good evidence of this.
Here's a loop of the important moments, in video, with audio, which I just created. I encourage everyone to watch this and allow it to loop as it will do. Pay attention to the sound of the acceleration and when that comes.
The main reason people are able to be under this misconception that the car didn't move prior to the shot is the fact that during those moments, Tensing's body camera is pretty much pointed right at the vehicle with very little, if any, background being visible. Not having the background to clearly demonstrate movement puts us at a disadvantage, but we can still determine it.
It's also worth pointing out that unless his foot was already on the accelerator pedal, no "dead weight" dynamic could really account for that pedal being pressed down by his foot after the shot. That can only have happened if his foot had already been on the pedal. You can tell that he'd not only accelerated, but also turned left out into the street (and into the officer) based on the trajectory it maintains up to the point where it crashes, btw.
Looking like he was dragged several feet, actually. This is why he ends up falling down and having to get back up, and why he's getting up off the ground several feet from where he'd been standing next to the car talking to the suspect. I'll grant you that some of the acceleration and movement is happening after the shot (some is before the shot, some is during - this all happens VERY fast) but I think it's clear that there was absolutely enough acceleration, movement, and officer-dragging prior to the shot to justify it.
In a moment like that, it isn't a matter of rock solid logical thinking. It's a matter of training and instinct kicking in, and frankly,
if the officer had drawn his weapon and was preparing to use it as an incentive to get Dubose to exit the vehicle, it's possible that the sudden jerking motion of the car as Dubose hit the gas contributed to the trigger being pulled.
All that needs to have happened for this shooting to make sense from the officer's POV is "oh crap! I'm going to get run over!" - that would put him in legitimate fear for his life, and frankly I don't even think any rational person can watch that video and NOT realize that this is what was going through his head when he shot. Whether you find it reasonable or not, he obviously did think his life was in danger and that this moving vehicle posed a threat to him.
Dubose wasn't just accelerating, he was turning INTO the officer as well (had to because there was a car up ahead along the shoulder like his was) and could have easily pulled the officer's legs under the rear tire.
And you're both incorrect. Dubose absolutely applies acceleration AND turns before being shot. He was shot because of these actions, and because of the threat they posed to the officer's safety. The prosecutor charged him out of fear of riots, plain and simple.
No, while still alive, Dubose started the engine, began acceleration, and began turning out into the street and thus INTO/ONTO the officer standing directly next to the car, and in fact leaning into it. Thus putting the officer in grave physical danger. His fate is exactly why you don't do that.
Unfortunately his left arm goes out of frame at the crucial moment, so we can't say exactly what was going on with it. However, it seems very possible that since he'd been grappling with the suspect for control of the steering wheel, his arm may have momentarily been caught in said steering wheel as Dubose turned it leftward. If this is the case, he got his arm free rather rapidly as Dubose straightened out the car a bit again, but it still would've been sufficient to create that feeling of being hooked to the car. This is consistent with the
fact that he is dragged for several feet and then falls down and has to get back up.
He did not lie, and neither did the other officers. He
was dragged, without any doubt. Those who have looked closely at it and compared the images are guessing it was for about twelve feet. I agree with that assessment. The officer's actions also make much more sense if you grant that he was dragged. It would create the convincing (and real) feeling of significant danger in his mind and trigger his reflexes and instincts and training in this way.
