Paris Officer Involved Shooting

The Paris Police Department issued a press release Tuesday about the officer-involved shooting in June of 2021 that left a Paris man paralyzed from the waist down. The department was concerned that an edited version of a police officer’s body camera footage was released on social media, triggering misleading and inflammatory comments. According to the Paris News, the officially released video shows that officers ordered “Coco” Carico to drop his rifle. Instead, Carico turned his back on the officers and began walking back indoors. Police then shot him. The Texas Rangers investigating the incident determined the shooting was justified, and the grand jury cleared the officer of wrongdoing. The PD press release is on our website. Meanwhile, prominent attorney Lee Merritt of Dallas says he is filing a Civil Rights lawsuit.

 ******************PRESS RELEASE *********************

It has come to the City’s attention that an edited version of a police officer’s body camera footage regarding a shooting incident is on social media, along with misleading and inflammatory comments. Our Paris police officers, who place themselves at risk daily, and our citizens, deserve a complete picture.

On June 1, 2021, Paris Police Department officers investigated a motor vehicle rollover accident involving damage to the property of a third party. The driver had fled the scene, but officers traced the abandoned vehicle to Colton Carico. Officers arrived at Mr. Carico’s home, where Mr. Carico eventually appeared at the door. Officers repeatedly and politely requested Mr. Carico come to speak with them about the accident, which he initially refused to do. When he eventually exited the home, Mr. Carico did so with a rifle in his hands. Officers ordered him to drop the gun multiple times but he would not comply with those commands. As a result of Mr. Carico brandishing a rifle, the officers feared for their safety and the safety of Mr. Carico’s girlfriend, who was also present and in Mr. Carico’s line of fire.

Mr. Carico’s actions created an obvious and present danger that the officers were forced to address to prevent Mr. Carico from firing the rifle in his hands. The events that resulted in Mr. Carico’s sustaining a gunshot wound happened in a matter of seconds and occurred only because Mr. Carico created a dangerous situation by introducing a high-powered rifle into an otherwise nonviolent scene. Moreover, to address misleading comments on social media, this call was not about any mental health issues, and Mr. Carico’s mental health was no.