A Spring Hill police officer who was assaulted in the parking lot of the Crossings Shopping Center last Thursday evening could return to light duty soon.
Officer Curtis Floyd, who made the traffic stop of 33-year old Brandon McMahan sustained significant head injuries, a dislocated shoulder, lacerations to the nose and back of the head, and possibly a broken nose. The father and husband is at home recuperating and when cleared will return to light duty and ease back into patrol.
Responding to a BOLO for a recklessly driving Nissan SUV, Floyd approached McMahan, who was in such a vehicle, at The Crossings parking lot. McMahan became hostile and aggressive, which led Floyd to radio for backup. Between the call and the time that backup arrived, Floyd and McMahan got into a struggle, during which a shot was fired.
Detective Michael Foster, who took the lead investigating the incident, said that Floyd’s memory of the assault is not perfect but that the shot was not intentional.
“Whether he had his gun out already or if the suspect was reaching at it, once the gun was out our best guess is the suspect was banging the officers hand on the pavement and one of them had a finger on the trigger and it fired. The bullet hit pavement and skipped up. I don’t think he fired the round in self defense and the struggle caused the trigger to be pulled.”
The popular shopping center parking lot lent police plenty of witnesses– who also could have been victims of the shot.
“It could have ended very badly in three ways, with a bystander getting hit, the suspect being shot, or with the suspect getting the gun away and shooting the officer,” Foster said. “It could have ended up very badly and luckily everyone was able to walk away from it.”
The bullet ricocheted off the pavement and put a hole in the glass storefront of GNC and lodged into the building but did not hit anyone.
When officers arrived, they apprehended McMahan and took him to Maury County Jail, on charges of Resisting Arrest and Aggravated Assault on an Officer. He is being held on a $60,000 bond.
