Brian Riling (left) is shot by police officer in video released by Bucks D.A.’s office
The Bucks County District Attorney’s Office on Friday released a video of the officer-involved shooting of a suspect being held at the New Hope police station on March 3.
D.A. Matthew Weintraub ruled Friday that the New Hope police officer was not justified in shooting the man, but would be excused.
The officer can be heard yelling “Taser” at 1:38 in the video in the belief that he was firing his stun gun, the D.A. confirmed. (WARNING: The video is a graphic depiction of a violent incident, and will be upsetting to some viewers).
As first reported in the Free Press, Riling, 38 of Pipersville, had been arrested shortly before being taken to the station for allegedly trying to intimidate his ex-girlfriend into changing her previous testimony to police about his purported stalking and harassing behavior toward her.
“After careful consideration, I have determined that [the officer’s] shooting of arrestee Brian Riling on March 3, 2019, was neither justified, nor criminal, but was excused,” Weintraub wrote in a letter to New Hope Police Chief Michael Cummings.
Weintraub said the law excuses the shooting officer’s conduct from criminal prosecution because of his “honest but mistaken” belief he was deploying his Taser at the time he discharged his service weapon.
The officer was not named by the District Attorney, and has been on paid administrative leave from the date of the incident until his retirement from the police department since April 10.
In the video taken inside the station, Riling is seen entering a holding cell and removing his belt at the direction of an officer. A white, rectangular object “consistent with a drug baggie” fell from his waistband to the cell floor, a struggle ensued, and another officer entered the cell to assist, then yelled “Taser!” and shot Riling.
Riling was treated by other officers before being transported to St. Mary Medical Center, where he was held in critical condition for several days, before being released on $50,000 bail. He had been struck by a single bullet in the abdomen, and has suffered complications from the wound, according to his attorney.
Glock 17 vs. Taser X26P
“Given the totality of circumstances, the officer would have been justified in using his Taser to regain control of Riling inside the holding cell,” according to a statement from the D.A.’s office. “The officer had a reasonable belief the scuffle posed a danger to his fellow officer. The use of a firearm must be an officer’s last resort, and was not justified in this case. Because the officer believed he was deploying his Taser and not wielding his service firearm, he did not possess the criminal mental state required to be guilty of a crime under state law.”
Weintraub’s noted that, “Section 304 of the Pennsylvania Crimes Code (Title 18) states that a person has a defense to a criminal charge if he makes a mistake as a matter of fact for which there is a reasonable explanation or excuse. Investigation of the incident further revealed the officer wore his Taser on his right side, in front of his firearm, in violation of police department policies. Policy dictates officers should wear their Tasers on their non-dominant side, in what is known as a cross-draw position. This violation of policy, however, does not constitute a violation of law.”
New Hope Police Station
Incidents when a police officer accidentally fires his/her handgun when intending to use their Taser are not common, occurring at a rate of less than one per year nationally. Contributing factors can be the type and frequency of Taser training the officer received, how the weapon was carried, and the stress involved in a potentially rapidly-evolving incident.
Many law enforcement officers carry their Taser on their non-dominant side, e.g. on the left side of their duty belt or left leg if right-handed, to help differentiate it from their handgun. Tasers can be black, yellow, or both, and weigh less than a Glock 17, the standard issue weapon for many police departments, including New Hope. The grips feel different to users, and the Taser has an LED-lit control panel. Both weapons can utilize a laser for sighting.
In making his decision, Weintraub considered “the officer’s decades of exemplary service to the citizens of New Hope as evidenced by dozens of commendations and letters, as compared to relatively few minor historical infractions on his service record.”
What difference does it make what kind of guy he was?? You don’t know this guy to call him a low life piece of garbage! Are you kidding me?? He had dope on him, maybe he was an addict. Maybe he harassed his girlfriend, maybe he was a petty thief or worse. Point is, that video represents manslaughter at the very least. I have cops all over my family, I love them, I worry about them but this is bullshit. He thought he had his taser? Well…guess what…he had his GUN. if you can’t differentiate the two, you need to go back to the academy and learn some shit. Whatever he did that night to get him arrested, he did NOT deserve to be gut shot. What if a regular citizen did this? Mistakenly shot someone. We’d be in prison spouting off about how we thought it was a taser. And what about how long they left him on the floor, bleeding out? No one did a damn thing for much too long. I think I better stop going to New Hope and stick with Lambertville.
In this instance it does not matter if the man in custody is a good or bad person. Had this man been properly searched at the time of his arrest the concealed bag he was trying to hide would have been found. Second why were his gun and taser on the same side of his belt. The officer who fired was extremely lucky he did not shoot a fellow officer. This is clear cut sloppy police work.
Dude has been a cop for fucking years that shit doesn’t fly. How do you “mistake” your own weapon that you carry every day for years. Sounds like BULLSHIT.
“Neither justified or criminal, but is excused “. REALLY ? WTF ??????? This is WRONG !!!!!!!!!!!
Agreed. He was already sitting, so there was no reason to even use a taser. And doesn’t it feel different holding a gun compared to a taser!? Terrible the cop was on paid leave until he could retire 2 days ago with pension. At one point that gun was pointed at his head. Lucky he wasn’t shot in the head. This may have been accidental, but it’s definitely not excusable.
Watch it again, Alicia. He was trying to cover the baggie of white powder under his foot. The police officer attempted to move his foot, they fell to the bench and he continued to struggle & resist. Why should an officer’s 30 year career be destroyed by this pitiful example of a human being? Talk to the girl he stalked and terrified. As the true victim, I’m sure she was very pleased by this.
Oooohhh. We stand corrected. He tried to hide a bag of white powder with his foot. Deadly force is therefore the obvious choice. Brilliant post Sandy
The point isn’t to use deadly force… where the hell was this guy going to go? Beat his way out of jail cell? He is in custody already they could have idk…. jumped on the guy? Three versus one, odds are in the cops favor. This is bullshit. They treat the dude after he is shot like he killed someone. He was going to pay for what he did to the lady regardless. To be shot whilst in custody is a different story. This bald looking piece of shit will have karma to pay for now.
Absolute bullshit. “Neither justified, nor criminal”. If a civilian did this and used the excused that they thought their gun was a taser, that person would be going to prison for years. As a cop you can make serious mistakes, violate policy and still be “excused”. As a civilian, you can’t make any mistakes without your life being ruined.
Walk just one day in a police officer’s shoes, then you can talk about having to make split second decisions and possibly making a mistake. The low-life, piece of garbage they arrested will get a nice settlement and go on to continue his life of crime.
Your comment can be summarized by repeating the first two words of your statement. Grow up man; police officers have a very hard job and it is often life threatening. Civilians can absolutely make mistakes and lead exemplary lives after they have made due the penalties for whatever the crime was. Stop being a victim. You sound like a college freshman.