Officer Ivan Lopez started with the Mobile Police Department on Sept. 17. His termination was announced Dec. 14. (MPD Photo)

Mobile Police Chief James Barber announced Wednesday afternoon that the department had fired a new officer who improperly pursued a suspect into a neighboring jurisdiction and fired shots into a moving vehicle.

Barber identified the terminated officer as Ivan Lopez, who was still on probationary status with the department after being hired in September. Though he had only recently joined the Mobile force, Lopez had previously served two stints with the Prichard PD and one with the Chickasaw PD. Barber said it is normal for newly hired officers to spend about a year on probation, even if they have experience with other agencies.

Barber said the situation developed early in the morning of Saturday, Dec. 10, when Lopez was on a DUI patrol in the third precinct. While on St. Stephens Road, the officer later reported, he observed a vehicle swerve across the center line. Barber said that Lopez turned and initially lost sight of the vehicle, but continued pursuing it -- which was one violation of policy -- and crossed into Prichard without authorization -- which was another -- where he confronted the driver outside a nightclub, the Galaxy Club on Wilson Avenue.

Barber said that normally, an officer in a cross-jurisdictional pursuit must notify an operator and receive permission from a superior. Dispatchers and supervisors will then coordinate backup and notify law enforcement in the other jurisdiction. None of that happened in this case, Barber said.

"There was a confrontation between the officer and the driver where the driver tried to re-enter the car," Barber said. "The officer fired a Taser, initially, and as the driver began to drive off, fired at least five rounds from his service weapon into the driver's side of the car."

The driver "was able to successfully get out of that area and avoid any contact with law enforcement until yesterday afternoon," Barber said. "When we made contact with the driver, we found that he did have a minor gunshot wound to the left calf area of his leg and then a grazing wound to the right calf area of his right leg. We suspect that those came from the shots fired by the Mobile police officer while in Prichard."

Barber said there was "some reluctance initially" on the part of the driver about talking to police, but eventually he agreed to be interviewed, as did two people who were passengers in the vehicle. They were not injured in the incident.

"The identity of the driver of that vehicle has not been released and will not be released as he has not been charged," said Barber. "Nor are we contemplating any criminal charges [against the driver] at this point."

The same might not be true for Lopez. Barber said that police had briefed the District Attorney's office and an FBI representative on the details of the case. "The investigation into the shooting itself is still ongoing," he said. "It's very early into that investigation."

Barber said the officer's dismissal was based on several serious violations of departmental policy, from entering another jurisdiction without approval to unjustified use of deadly force.

"We are an organization of rules, regulations, policies, and procedures," Barber said in a news release about the incident. "Violation of the rules, regulations, policies, and procedures that place police personnel or citizens at risk require swift and decisive action, as we have done in this situation."

Note: This story was updated at 7 p.m. with video and additional detail.