A Clearwater Police officer violated several departmental policies during a June 26 incident in which three shots were fired at a moving car on Clearwater Beach, according to a release from the police department.
Officer Adam Wall had told investigators he had been in fear for his life when a moving car drove at him and missed him by just 2 feet after he had attempted to initiate a traffic stop in the parking lot of Shephard's.
An internal administrative investigation concluded that Officer Wall had opportunities to take cover away from the car and not place himself in a precarious position.
Department policy prohibits an officer from firing at a moving vehicle except as the ultimate measure of self-defense or defense of another person when the suspect is using deadly force and requires the officer to employ all reasonable means available to move to an area of safety.
Three shots were fired at the side of the car as it sped out of the Holiday Inn parking lot at about 11 p.m. on June 26.
Officer Wall, who had been a police officer for two and a half years, resigned Aug. 3 amid the shooting investigation and another unrelated investigation.
In the latter investigation, the police department's chain of command found unanimously that Officer Wall violated the department's on/off duty policy for conduct.
That case stemmed from social media posts that the officer made in regards to a man in the Griffin, Ga., area who was trying to organize a protest in the aftermath of police-related shootings. Two Griffin police officers were fired for their comments.
