MOUNT VERNON, Ill. – The Illinois State Police released dash camera video of a fatal shooting that occurred when a stranded motorist shot a trooper and died when a second trooper returned fire.
On May 9 at approximately 3 a.m., an ISP trooper stopped to assist the stranded motorist along the right shoulder of Interstate 64 in Mount Vernon. Law enforcement officers contacted Brandon Griffin, 23, from Albuquerque, New Mexico, and his wife, Christine Santos, 31, near the vehicle, Fox News reported.
A second trooper arrived as the couple provided fake names and birthdates on three occasions when questioned, ISP said. Once his true identity was discovered, a record check revealed Griffin had an arrest warrant for weapons violations. The warrant was extraditable from anywhere in the country. Santos also had a warrant for her arrest.
As the troopers tried taking Griffin into custody, he resisted while Santos pleaded with him. During the physical confrontation, Griffin is heard saying “I was in the military. You’re going to have to shoot me.”
One trooper deployed a Taser, which temporarily immobilized Griffin and sent him to the ground. However, when the cycle completed he managed to get up, reached into the passenger compartment and pulled out a firearm.
“He’s got a gun!” a trooper is heard yelling before Griffin discharged the weapon, striking one of the troopers.
The other trooper returned fire and assisted his wounded partner off the ground and to a place of cover behind the patrol unit.
Griffin was pronounced dead at the scene, Fox News reported.
The wounded trooper was transported to the hospital with unspecified injuries, but was later released to recover at home.
Santos was taken into custody on an arrest warrant out of New Mexico. The charge is aggravated assault with a firearm, in which Griffin was her codefendant.
