James Brennand: Rookie cop who shot teen outside McDonald's has a soldier wife and a child
SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS: 17-year-old Erik Cantu was fiercely shot by James Brennand, a rookie San Antonio cop, 25, around 10.30 pm on Sunday, October 2, in a McDonald's parking lot in San Antonio. According to DailyMail, Brennand is married to Danielle Arnold, who was a part of the military. The couple married in July 2019, and it is not clear if she is still associated with the military.
The duo has a baby boy, reportedly. According to his now-deleted-Linkedin account, Brennand previously served as a military dog handler in the US Army. He enlisted in 2016 and is currently stationed outside of Seattle.
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He also stated he is an "experienced working dog handler with a demonstrated history of working in the military industry". The profile adds that he is "skilled in Law Enforcement, Operational Planning, Active DoD Secret Clearance, Military Operations, and Security." The officer, now fired, has claimed that he has a degree in criminal justice and police science from Kaplan University, an online college. He graduated from the San Antonio Police Training Academy in 2021. Brennand is highly recognized for his commendable skills with a gun, finishing fourth in his class in the firearms discipline.
His wife Arnold says on her Facebook page that she is attending online courses at Purdue University. The couple was married on July 12, 2019. Their child was born in August 2022. They bought a home together in San Antonio in July 2021, according to reports. Meanwhile, Erik's condition has been listed as critical but stable.
A Texas prosecutor said in a statement Friday that he has not seen enough evidence to file charges against the teenager. “While Sunday’s shooting of an unarmed teenager by a then-San Antonio Police officer remains under investigation, the facts and evidence we have received so far led us to reject the charges against Erik Cantu for further investigation,” Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales said.
Gonzales added, "This young man is in critical but stable condition in the hospital. There was some issue with his parents having extended contact with him. I understand it’s a touch-and-go situation." At the time of the incident, Brennand had been in the service for only seven months and was fired on Wednesday, October 5.
Gonzales also suggested, "That case is pending. We will have to wait until SAPD files the entire case in our office. We will then review it." Further, he added, "My concern right now is with the health of this young man, with his parents’ ability to be by his side, and so that’s why we have done what we have done."
He also said, "It’ll take some time for SAPD to file the complete case with us and then we’ll make the decision. I commend the San Antonio Police Department for taking the action that they did for terminating this individual because, clearly, there was concern on their part. It is commendable that members of that department saw fit to terminate this individual," the district attorney added.