The fired San Antonio officer who shot an unarmed 17-year-old sitting in his car eating a cheeseburger is a married ex-trooper who was praised for his firearms skills while in police academy.
James Brennard, 25, had been on the job just seven months when he confronted Erik Cantu around 10.30pm in a McDonald’s parking lot. An uninjured female passenger was seated next to the victim. She has not been identified. At the time of writing, Cantu is listed as being in critical but stable condition.
According to his LinkedIn page, Brennand previously served in the U.S. Army as a military dog handler. He enlisted in 2016. Brennand was stationed outside of Seattle.
On that profile, Brennand describes himself as an ‘experienced service dog handler with a demonstrated history of working in the military industry.’ He also says he is ‘skilled in law enforcement, operational planning, active DoD secret clearance, military operations and security.’
While in the Army, Brennand received 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 was praised for his skills with a gun, finishing fourth in his class in the firearms discipline.
The former police officer has a child with his wife, Danielle Arnold, Arnold is also a dog handler in the US Army. It is not clear if Arnold is still active in the military. She says on her Facebook page that she is taking online courses at Purdue University.
The couple were married on July 12, 2019. Their child was born in August 2022. Records show they bought a home together in San Antonio in July 2021.
Officer James Brennand graduated from the San Antonio Police Training Academy in 2021. On his LinkedIn page, Brennand says he is ‘in Law Enforcement, Operational Planning, Active DoD Secret Clearance, Military Operations, and Security’
According to his LinkedIn page, Brennand previously served in the U.S. Army as a military dog handler. He enlisted in 2016. Brennand was stationed outside of Seattle
Brennand has been fired for shooting 17-year-old Erik Cantu in a McDonald’s parking lot Sunday night
Brennand and his wife pictured in a photoshopped image created by their realtor after Arnold was not present when the couple closed on a home in 2021
Brennand is no stranger to shooting – he placed fourth in the ‘firearms’ category in his police cadet class of 2021
The former police officer has a child with his wife, Danielle Arnold, Arnold is also a dog handler in the US Army
Erik Cantu was admitted to nearby University Hospital after the shooting. He was listed as being in critical but stable condition. After the shooting, Brennand administered CPR while waiting for paramedics.
On Wednesday, San Antonio police acted quickly by firing Brennand. At the time of his termination, he was still in his probationary period – meaning he has no right to appeal – and had been on the job for just seven months.
Law enforcement initially filed charges against the teenager for evading arrest and assaulting a police officer, but those have since been dropped. Under Texas law, due to the fact that the teenager had charges against him, his family was only allowed to be at his bedside for limited periods of time.
Before the release of the video, Brennand maintained that he only opened fire on Cantu after the teenager hit him with his car. The new video shows otherwise.
Brennand was called to McDonald’s after a reported disturbance unrelated to Cantu. When the officer arrived at the scene, he apparently mistook the teenagers’ car for a vehicle that eluded him the night before.
That car had sped away from Brennand when he tried to stop it as its license plates did not match the car.
Brennand approached Cantu’s maroon car and called for cover, but quickly tried to take matters into his own hands and opened the car door.
Police have not confirmed whether Cantu’s car was stolen.
The video shows the moment Brennand surprised Cantu and demanded the teenager get out of the car.
When Cantu questioned the officer’s orders, he tried to put the car in reverse and the door caught Brennand.
Brennand quickly opened fire, shooting into the driver’s side of the vehicle as Cantu backed up, and the bodycam footage captured the officer yelling ‘shots fired!’ into his radio.
Cantu pulled out of the parking lot and tried to drive away, but Brennand continued to fire into the back of the vehicle.
The teenagers were then found outside the vehicle a block away from the shooting.
Under this Facebook post from June 2022, Cantu’s grandmother wrote: ‘My boy I am very excited for you, I just ask you one thing, drive safe and take care of yourself, love you very much, God is good’
At a press briefing Friday, Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales confirmed that after reviewing the video, his office directed the police department to drop the charges against Cantu.
Gonzales also updated the public on Cantu’s condition, saying: ‘This young man is in critical but stable condition at the hospital. There was some problem with his parents being able to have extended contact with him. I understand it’s a touch-and-go situation.’
He added: ‘Exercising my discretion, what I decided to do for now is to dismiss this case so that his family can be by his side.’
Regarding possible charges against Officer Brennand, Gonzales said, ‘That case is pending. We will have to wait until SAPD files the entire case in our office. We will then review it.’
He continued: ‘My concern right now is the health of this young man, the ability of his parents to be by his side and that’s why we’ve done what we’ve done. It will take some time for SAPD to submit the entire case to us and then we will make the decision.’
‘I commend the San Antonio Police Department for taking the action they did to terminate this individual because there was clearly concern on their part. It is commendable that members of that department saw fit to terminate this individual,” the district attorney added.
There is a possibility that Brennand could face criminal charges.
Earlier this week, San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said of Brennand: ‘There’s nothing I can say that can justify what he did, his actions that night.’
Eric Cantu pictured on his Facebook page in September 2022
According to Cantu’s Facebook page, he works at The Wash Tub, a San Antonio-based car service business.
This was told by his former supervisor, Christopher Montalvo KSAT that Cantu worked at the company for three months earlier this year.
Montalvo said he last saw Cantu two weeks ago when he came to a car wash. He said: ‘Good laugh, just normal human things. Nothing serious. I never got a bad vibe from (Cantu). He was always a really good guy to me and he always respected me. Whenever I told him to do something, he always did it and he worked hard.’
The supervisor was unaware that Cantu had been shot. When shown the video by a KSAT reporter, Montalvo said, ‘It’s hard to watch. It is frightening. I’m speechless, honestly. (Cantu) looks scared. He looks terrified. He doesn’t know what’s going on. He was just sitting in his car eating. That, it didn’t look right to me personally.’
Posts on Cantu’s Facebook page show a keen interest in cars, there are several photos showing him in front of a Dodge Charger, which comments indicate he had just purchased in May.
Underneath that picture, his grandmother wrote: ‘My boy I am very excited for you, I just ask you one thing, drive safe and take care, love you very much, God is good.’
He replied: ‘I appreciate it Liz. You have always been like a mother to me. You always treated me like I was your son. Can’t wait to show it to you!’
In February, he posted a photo showing him behind the wheel of a Ford Bronco. While in March he posted a video showing him in the passenger side of a Ferrari.
In the Intro section of his page, Cantu wrote: ‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. KJV Proverbs 3:5.’
As Cantu backed up, the door of the vehicle hit Brennand, and the officer then draws his gun and immediately begins shooting at the teenage couple
Brennand repeatedly shoots the driver’s side window and yells ‘shots fired’ into his radio, and Cantu tries to drive away
Although Cantu drove away, Brennand continues to shoot into the vehicle
According to the police report, Brennand was performing CPR on Cantu when he caught up, and the female passenger in the car was uninjured.
Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales said the investigation could take up to a year, and ‘the DA’s office will also review all evidence related to the charges against Erik Cantu once we receive it.’