A North Little Rock police officer has resigned and faces criminal charges related to a shooting that followed a traffic stop earlier this month.
Officer Jesse Gossage resigned Monday and has been charged with first degree assault and criminal attempt to commit first degree battery. Gossage surrendered to police Monday and was taken to the Pulaski County Regional Detention Facility, where he was fingerprinted and released on his own recognizance.
He’s scheduled to appear in North Little Rock District Court on Sept. 5.
According to a department press release, at about 12:14 a.m. on July 19, Gossage pulled over a red Honda with an expired license plate near Buckeye Street and East Washington Avenue. The driver did not immediately stop but later pulled to the side of the road, then exited the car and fled on foot while holding “a small dark object.”
Gossage chased the suspect and fired his weapon “in the direction of the fleeing suspect,” the press release said. The suspect was not located.
A department investigation into the events found that Gossage had violated the department’s policy for “Response to Resistance and Use of Deadly Force.”
An affidavit for a warrant for Gossage’s arrest provides the account of a witness, referred to in the document as “AM,” who saw the events unfold from his car near where the red Honda came to a stop. The witness said he saw the driver of the Honda exit the vehicle and the police officer “just go shooting wildly.” The witness said bullets were “flying past my head” and that his car was shot multiple times.
When the shooting ended, the witness said the officer checked on him and said, “I’m sorry, I ain’t know you was in the car.” The witness was unable to say if the driver of the Honda had a gun or had fired any shots, the affidavit said.
A second witness, referred to in the affidavit as “SB,” said he saw the Honda driver exit the vehicle and saw Gossage shooting but said he did not hear the officer yell, “freeze, stop or nothing.” He said the officer “let off four rounds, walked up to the car, looking into it and shot some more.” He said the officer then turned to him and the other witness and began to yell, “Get back, get back.”
In a recorded interview, Gossage said the driver had a gun in his hand and said, “I believe he was trying to shoot me.”
Gossage said he pulled his gun out and engaged the driver but did not remember how many times he had fired his weapon at the suspect. Gossage said he fired while the suspect’s back was to him and “trying to run away.” Gossage said he believed the suspect was “actively messing with his gun from what I could see. I did not want him to get it ready and shoot me. So, I shot at him.”
Gossage had been employed by the department for three years and 11 months.
North Little Rock Police Chief Patrick Thessing provided the following statement:
“The North Little Rock Police Department is committed to holding its officers to the highest standards of conduct and integrity. When those standards are not met, it is our duty to act decisively and in the best interests of our community. We pledge to uphold transparency and accountability, taking every necessary step to resolve the issue and preserve the trust placed in us by the public.”