An intoxicated off-duty officer with the Dallas Police department has been arrested after discharging her weapon in a squad car while fellow officers were taking her home.
Kelly Beemer had attended a party Wednesday night with other members of the police department when she was a determined to be too drunk to drive home. During the evening she allegedly offered rides to co-workers and then hid from officers. Two on-duty officers were summoned to the bar around 11:30 pm to take Beemer to her east Dallas home. She was stumbling so badly that the two officers had to hold her up as they escorted her to their squad car. While in the vehicle, Beemer thought she was being arrested and became belligerent. On a dashboard camera video recording she is heard to say, “This is what you’ve wanted.” When one officer replied, “To take you home?”, Beemer replied “To drive me out of my mind to where you have no (expletive) control, no control whatsoever.”
Beemer then withdrew her department issued handgun and fired a single shot into the baseboard of the police cruiser. Another officer can be heard yelling, “Kelly, drop the gun! Drop it! Drop it!”
Commanders who arrived on the scene did not initially file charges because Beemer was so intoxicated that she could not be interviewed. After reviewing the squad car video, Beemer was charged with discharging a firearm within the city limits. She was released Thursday night after posting bond.
No one was hurt in the incident. The police chief called Beemer’s actions “reckless” and “unacceptable”. The videotape of the incident was released to show that the department was not trying to cover up the shooting. Beemer has turned in her weapon and badge until an investigation is complete. She could lose her license as a peace officer is convicted.
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