Scott county release dash and body cam of a justified shooting during traffic stop
By: A Scott County Sheriff's Deputy’s deadly use of force is ruled as justified, but county attorney Mike Walton said it also could have been avoided.
The incident happened shortly after 1 a.m. on October 23 in the Menards parking lot on N. Brady Street. Deputy Gregory Hill pulled over 23-year-old Robert Mitchell for a brake light being out, but attempted to arrest Mitchell on outstanding warrants for resisting arrest and failing to appear in court on dangerous drug charges in Indiana.
That’s when Mitchell jumped back into the driver’s seat of the car. Hill held onto Mitchell as he put the car in reverse, drive and then reverse again.
Body cam footage from a second deputy on the scene shows the incident and Hill warning he will shoot if Mitchell doesn’t stop. Hill then fires three shots, with two hitting Mitchell.
Walton said that if Mitchell had complied with Hill, then he would still be alive today.
“People are doing dangerous things to avoid being arrested — legitimate arrest — and it’s not a choice,” he said. “When you engage in dangerous behavior to avoid arrest, bad things happen.”
Text messages to and from Mitchell from Oct. 22 revealed he was already agitated. The texts show him being upset over losing $1,100 in a drug deal.
One text reads: “I’m going to freak out on someone today, who might it be.”
“I would argue that turned out to be Deputy Hill 12 hours later,” Walton said.
Walton said the texts also indicate Mitchell was on his way to another drug deal when Hill pulled him over.
Officers searched Mitchell’s car and found $1,000 worth of meth in a stocking, which Mitchell can be seen wearing in the body cam footage.