We rolled back the film from over 100 fatal traffic stops to understand how the most routine police interactions can turn deadly. We found a striking pattern — right before the “final frame” of the fatal encounter, officers put themselves in imminent peril.nytimes.com/interactive/20…
Some policing experts call it officer-created jeopardy: when officers make tactical mistakes that put themselves in danger — stepping into the path of a car, jumping onto a moving vehicle — then use lethal force to defend against that danger.
We focused on 120 fatal traffic stops where footage of the encounter, including the use of deadly force, was clearly visible. We found officer-created jeopardy directly preceded the deadly force in 45 cases.
In most of the cases we reviewed, the drivers attempted to flee at some point. Policing experts say that when this happens, the correct tactic is to let them drive away. But none of the officers did and the interactions eventually turned fatal.
In one case, a Louisiana state trooper jumped onto the door of a pickup as the driver, 23-year-old Coltin LeBlanc, tried to flee. Fearing that he was going to be thrown from the moving vehicle, Trooper Andre Bezou opened fire. 
Trooper Bezou faced no internal discipline for shooting LeBlanc, a spokesperson for the Louisiana State Police said. The trooper repeatedly told investigators that when the truck moved, he jumped on — which policing experts said is emblematic of officer-created jeopardy.
The police pulled over 18-year-old Anthony Vega Cruz for registration violations. When he fled, Officer Layau Eulizier ran in front of his vehicle. As the car lurched toward the officer, he pulled the trigger.
The Wethersfield Police Department placed Officer Eulizier on administrative leave after shooting Vega Cruz, which is typical for such cases. He later resigned. Police departments nationwide inconsistently discipline officers responsible for officer-created jeopardy.
Officer Charles Starks stopped 30-year-old Bradley Blackshire for driving an allegedly stolen vehicle. Protocol required the officer to wait for backup and maintain his distance. But he didn’t. As Officer Starks approached the car, it bumped his left side and he opened fire.
None of these cases resulted in criminal charges. Prosecutors deemed the use of deadly force justified in all three because the officers reasonably feared imminent danger in the “final frame.” Here is the prosecutor’s decision on the officer who shot Blackshire.
After the shooting of Blackshire, the Little Rock Police Department fired Officer Starks for stepping in front of a moving vehicle. When he appealed the decision, nearly all of his supervisors either defended his actions or refused to second-guess them.
This piece is a part of a larger series from The Times on fatal traffic stops. Thanks to those who made it happen: @robinnyc7, @heytherehaIey, Natalie Reneau, @iamrumz, @ddknyt, @SteveEder, @Kim_Barker, and Michael Beswetherick.
Want to see more visual investigations? You can see all of our work here: nytimes.com/spotlight/visu…, and by subscribing to our newsletter: nytimes.com/newsletters/vi…
Correction: his name is spelled Anthoney, not Anthony as stated in this Tweet.
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