A York County police officer who shot and wounded a man earlier this year is facing charges. Court documents say he thought he was using his Taser.

Officer Stuart Lee Harrison, according to court documents, thought he had reached for his Taser instead of his firearm when he shot a suspect in the backseat of a police cruiser. Court documents say Harrison realized his mistake after he heard the sound of the gunshot.

Harrison, 56, faces a single count of simple assault, according to the criminal complaint.

State police said that prior to the shooting, Ryan Shane Smith, 33, entered the Santander Bank in the first block of West Hanover Street in Spring Grove around 4:30 p.m. Smith demanded $500,000 from a teller but was told he didn’t have an account with the bank or the proper identification to withdraw money. He threatened bank employees and refused orders to leave, police said.

Harrison and other officers tried to get Smith out of the bank peacefully, but he wouldn’t cooperate, according to court documents. He said officers tried unsuccessfully to stun Smith with their Tasers several times before finally taking him into custody.

Officers struggled to get Smith seated in the back of a patrol car, and Harrison decided he was going to try using his Taser on Smith’s thigh to get him to comply, according to the criminal complaint.

The complaint details the moments leading up to when Smith was shot:

“Officer Harrison stated that he then placed what he thought was his Taser against Smith’s right thigh and pulled the trigger. He stated that as soon as he heard the sound, he knew it wasn’t his Taser. Officer Harrison then re-holstered his firearm. Officer Harrison stated that it was not his intent to use his firearm. Officer Harrison stated that after the gunshot, Smith sat in the car and asked Officer Harrison, ‘dude, why’d you shoot me?’"

Harrison has been employed by the Southwestern Regional Police Department Since January 2003, according to the criminal complaint. He is also a certified firearms instructor and a certified Taser instructor for the department.

He worked for the York City Police Department from July 2001 to January 2003.