May 23, 2013
MOBILE, Ala. (AP) -- The University of South Alabama says a campus police officer was carrying pepper spray and a baton the night he shot and killed an unarmed freshman student.
University spokesman Keith Ayers said Friday the officer was carrying all three weapons when he walked outside the police station to confront 18-year-old Gil Collar, who was naked when he banged on police department windows.
A copy of the university's weapons policy released to The Associated Press shows an officer's actions should be based on how much a suspect resists.
Authorities describe Collar as being on LSD and acting aggressively that night, but he wasn't armed.
Mobile County Sheriff Sam Cochran says it's unclear whether the officer could have done anything other than shoot Collar because his gun was drawn.
