Erik Cantu, a 17-year-old who was shot by a San Antonio police officer in a McDonald‘s parking lot, has returned home after nearly two agonizing months in the hospital, according to his family.
After being shot numerous times by Officer James Brennand on October 2, Cantu was put on life support and, according to his attorney Brian Powers, was “fighting for his life” in the weeks that followed.
In a statement released on Wednesday, Cantu’s parents claimed that their son had been discharged from the hospital just in time for the Thanksgiving holiday.
“Our family’s prayers have been answered, and we are incredibly grateful that our son Erik is home with us. Erik still has a long road to recovery ahead of him but we are overjoyed at his progress in the past two weeks,” they claimed.
The statement continued, “it means the world to us that we can spend Thanksgiving as a family outside of the hospital walls, where we have lived since Erik was horribly injured, “we are thankful for many blessings this week—Erik’s strength, everyone who has supported us through Erik’s hospitalization, and the grace of God. Thank you”
According to police, Cantu was shot on October 2 while sitting in a maroon car in a McDonald’s parking lot when Brennand, who was nearby due to a separate disturbance call, opened the driver’s door and told him to exit.
A 17-year-old girl was seated in the passenger seat, and Cantu was seen eating a hamburger while driving in police body camera footage.
He left the driver’s door open, shifted into reverse, and backed up the vehicle. The police department’s training commander, Capt. Alyssa Campos, said in a video statement that Brennand was struck by the door.
.Then, as the car was being reversed, Brennand five times opened fire. As Cantu sped away, he released five more shots. Cantu was taken to the hospital after being found a block away with multiple gunshot wounds, according to the police.
Brennand allegedly approached Cantu’s vehicle because he thought it had eluded him the day before when he attempted to make a traffic stop, according to the police. Campos claimed that Brennand believed the car to be stolen, but the family disputes this.
Brennand had been on the force for seven months at the time of the shooting and was still in the probationary period, which is customary for San Antonio police officers who were just recently commissioned from the police academy.
After the shooting, he lost his job. On October 11, he was taken into custody and charged with two counts of aggravated assault. He was freed after posting a bond.
