A Dallas police officer technically shouldn’t have been able to use a PepperBall gun the night he shot the crowd-control projectiles toward protesters of the fatal shooting of Botham Jean, according to department records.

But police officials found, in their preliminary report, that Officer Jared Waddle ultimately used the gun in a way that was “consistent” with the department’s general orders.

Waddle could still face discipline, although it would likely be minor under the current findings. Internal investigative documents — obtained this week under a Public Information Act request by The Dallas Morning News — found the problem was that Waddle "was not currently certified" to use the gun and should've inspected it before he used it during the Sept. 10 protest.

Still, the report blamed some tactical decisions outside the officer’s control, such as the size of the response team and Waddle’s inability to attend a pre-protest briefing. The Dallas Police Association defended the officer, saying he did nothing wrong.

But protesters had been upset by the use of pepper balls, which can irritate the face and nose. Video of the incident captured national attention, which was already fixed on Dallas after Officer Amber Guyger killed Jean, a 26-year-old PricewaterhouseCoopers analyst, inside his Cedars apartment. Guyger was fired and has been indicted on a murder charge.

The day after the protest, one of many after Jean's Sept. 6 death, Police Chief U. Renee Hall called for a review of the pepper-ball incident. Hall said then that officers should only use pepper balls if directed by an on-scene commander or if a threat to the public is imminent.

However, according to the report, the deployment of the PepperBall gun was “consistent” with general orders by the department. “Officer Waddle was confronted with an unruly crowd and had a lawful order from Sergeant Willie Ford to deny the crowd access to Cadiz Street," the report said.

The protest’s leader, activist Dominique Alexander, said he didn’t understand why law enforcement blocked the street, turning the demonstration into what he called “a standoff” between officers and protesters.

Alexander said he had communicated with law enforcement during the protest about how they planned to turn on Cadiz during the demonstration.

“We were not being aggressive,” Alexander said.

The division referral documents show that some officers assigned to the protest weren’t able to go to an afternoon meeting to discuss plans before the protest. The report faulted “a conflict of assignments.”

According to the report, an order was given over the police radio to stop protesters from gaining access to R.L. Thornton Freeway as they marched toward downtown on Lamar Street in the Cedars.

The protesters wanted to turn on Cadiz and head toward the Dallas Police Association office about half a mile from police headquarters.

Waddle said in the report that he had used “hand gestures and loud verbal commands to keep protesters back” as the crowd turned on Cadiz from Lamar.

But Waddle said in his statement that protesters didn’t stop. Waddle then fired multiple volleys of pepper balls, according to the documents.

Waddle “did absolutely nothing wrong in that situation,” said Mike Mata, president of the Dallas Police Association. He also said protesters should stay out of the roadway while marching.

Waddle, who joined the department in September 2013, is a member of the association.

But Waddle’s certification on the gun had been expired for a year, according to the documents. The statement he provided said that he “intentionally targeted the pavement in front of the crowd instead of targeting individuals in the crowd.” His statement also said that he was “cautious and deliberate with his deployment” of the gun and that he had watched “to see if any members of the crowd were suffering adverse side effects.”

Alexander said protesters' eyes and faces started to burn, although they were not hit directly by the pepper balls. The peaceful crowd started to get angry, he said.

“When you do things like that, it’s going to bring tension,” Alexander said.

Hall didn’t respond Thursday to a request for comment on the report's findings. A spokeswoman said Hall is out of the office.

Executive Assistant Chief David Pughes said that the investigation is ongoing and that officials haven’t decided on discipline yet.

But the incident was treated as minor by the department. The internal-affairs division had the case initially, but referred it instead to Waddle’s division for review.

Maj. Reuben Ramirez, who oversees the internal-affairs division, said his investigators are focused on more egregious violations that result in discipline such as termination or suspension.

“If they determine it would rise to that level of punishment, then we will investigate it,” Ramirez said.

Alexander, who had not known about the review's findings, said he hopes the department will be transparent about the investigation. He thought the officer should be punished.

“An officer should always be held accountable to their actions,” he said.