Ryan Foster Claims He Wasn’t Escaping When Officer Shot Him

A man who was shot in the neck outside the Raccoon Street Police Station by a police officer while he tried to escape from their custody on Saturday has come forward claiming this account is inaccurate.  Ryan Foster told New Five today that contrary to what Senior Superintendent Hilberto Romero said on Monday’s newscast, he did not attempt to escape.  He says he was not under arrest nor was he handcuffed.  Foster claims he was freely leaving the police station after a stop and search operation on Holy Emmanuel Street yielded nothing incriminating.  He said he and a taxi driver were allowed to wash their hands and he was about to leave when an officer yelled at him and told him to stop or he would shoot.  That was when Foster said he felt the stinging blow in his cheek and neck and realized he had been shot.  He claims it was the same officer who had taken him to the K.H.M.H. for treatment after a previous offense last year. Police have begun a criminal and an internal investigation and have detained the officer who shot Foster on grounds that the investigation is showing he used excessive force.  Foster says that he is considering taking legal action against the police department.