Sarah Okeson

News-Leader

A Springfield police officer criminally charged with shooting an unarmed, mentally ill panhandler in May has resigned, the police department announced Thursday.

"Today, Officer (Jason) Shuck submitted a letter of resignation from the SPD," Chief Paul Williams said in a news release. "I have accepted his resignation, effective immediately."

Williams said Shuck resigned after a pre-disciplinary hearing that was held Wednesday. The news release did not say what kind of action might have come from Williams had Shuck not resigned, and the release said the chief would not offer additional comment.

Shuck told authorities he was trying to use his Taser and instead shot Eric Butts with his handgun as Butts ran away. Shuck is facing a misdemeanor charge of third-degree assault. If convicted, he could face up to a year in jail.

Butts was shot May 9 near the Walmart Neighborhood Market at 1320 S. Glenstone Ave. The bullet pierced his intestines and left him using a colostomy bag because he was unable to use the bathroom normally. Butts was scheduled to undergo surgery Thursday to reverse the colostomy.

Butts has a lawyer, who has said Butts plans to pursue a civil case against the city because of his injury.

Shuck received a meritorious service award from the police department in 2013. His salary in 2013 was about $48,550.

Butts is a convicted burglar who had served time in prison and was wanted on a warrant for failure to appear in court on a parole violation.

Only seven prior cases of a suspect being mistakenly shot with a handgun instead of a Taser have been documented, according to Greene County court documents filed in the case. That's out of about 2.2 million uses of a Taser.

Shuck carried his department-issued Glock semiautomatic pistol on his right side and his Taser on his left side. He had to reach across his body with his right hand to draw the Taser, which weighs about a third as much as the handgun, according to documents.