Coeur d’Alene Police released a video of what appears to be a “Suicide By Cop”.

On August 25, 2013, 35 year old resident of Dalton Gardens in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho by the name of Eric Byron Johnston knocked over a utility pole by driving his pickup truck into it. The police came looking for him an hour later in his girlfriend’s apartment at 1422 E. Young Ave.

When police officer Spencer Mortensen got to the scene, Johnston’s girlfriend Wendy Woods came out of the apartment and said she was worried about her boyfriend cutting himself.

Officer Mortensen entered the apartment and encountered Johnston wielding two kitchen knives. The man was ordered to put the knives down several times and was warned that he would be shot. Eventually, as Johnston continued to walk toward the officer, Spencer Mortensen fired five shots at him from a few feet away, sending Johnson crumbling to the floor.

After the shooting, Wendy Woods became distraught and started screaming bloody murder so cops placed her in handcuffs and led her away.

Bonner County attorney investigated the shooting and concluded that Eric Byron Johnston appeared intent on “suicide by cop”. As such, no charges would be filed against Mortensen.

The fatal shooting was caught on the officer’s body camera. Makes you wonder if overpolicing is leading people to choose death over having to deal with endless courts. Overpolicing fosters fear for noone is perfect and sooner or later, one will make a mistake. If you live in a police state, a slightest of mistakes is likely to leave your life in ruin.

Props to Best Gore member vortaq for the video: