MIDDLEFIELD, OH – Be careful what you wish for. Take this traffic stop in Middlefield, Ohio. According to Middlefield Police, officers pulled over 42-year-old James Gilkerson on March 10th for failing to stop at an intersection.
In the blink of an eye, the traffic stop goes from routine to deadly. The dash-cam video shows Gilkerson getting out of the car and firing an AK-47-style gun at police, even yelling “kill me.”
Well, he got his wish. Looks like suicide by cop. The officers are lucky it wasn’t murder/suicide. In total, the Geauga County Prosecutor’s Office says Gilkerson fired 33 rounds, injuring officers Erin Thomas and Brandon Savage.
It could have been worse: officers say Gilkerson’s gun had a 40-round magazine attached to it. Inside his car, police found loaded magazines, ammo, along with military-style ammo cans, ski masks and gloves, a scoped .22 caliber rifle, and how-to guides with titles like “Kitchen Approved Plastic Explosives” and “Homemade Detonators.”
But thankfully Gilkerson didn’t get very far.
