Despite having every reason to shoot and kill the suspect, Kidder remained extremely restrained and persistently persuaded the suspect to surrender.
On April 19, an officer from the New Richmond Police Department in Ohio was hailed as “the most restrained police officer in America” after he refused to shoot a murder suspect who repeatedly threatened him and begged to be killed.
In body camera video recorded last Thursday, officer Jesse Kidder is seen pointing his gun at 27-year-old suspect Michael Wilcox, who was being pursued by police after recently killing his girlfriend and best friend in two different locations.
Wilcox did not comply with Kidder’s orders and did not show any fear of the officer’s gun. He repeatedly challenged, “Shoot me, shoot me, or I’ll shoot you,” and rushed toward Kidder several times.
Each time Wilcox rushed toward him, Officer Kidder quickly backed away while still pointing his gun at the suspect, urging him to surrender. In response to Wilcox’s “begging for death” words, the officer calmly replied, “No, buddy, I won’t shoot you.”
During this time, Wilcox kept one hand in his pocket as if he was hiding a weapon. According to legal experts, Officer Kidder had every reason to shoot Wilcox without fear of any legal consequences, as he had words and actions that could threaten the officer’s life.
Kidder, however, remained steadfast in his refusal to shoot and persisted in persuading Wilcox to surrender. At one point, he stumbled as Wilcox charged at him, but he did not fire.
Kidder told NBC: “All police officers across the country have to make life-or-death decisions in a split second. For me, I always want to be absolutely sure before I shoot.”
Kidder said he kept a close eye on Wilcox’s hand in his pocket after he received information from the dispatcher that the suspect might have a gun and was attempting to “commit suicide by cop.”
Sheriff Randy Harvey was proud of his subordinate’s actions: “Kidder’s life was in danger, but I’m proud to say that he showed great restraint, regardless of his own safety.”
After repeatedly attacking and threatening to shoot the police, Wilcox appeared to have lost his temper and, upon seeing Kidder’s teammates coming to his aid, obediently dropped to the ground and was handcuffed.
Kidder is a former Marine who received the Purple Heart during two tours in Iraq. After being discharged from the military, he joined the police force nearly a year ago.
Wilcox has been charged with murder. He told police he was driven to murder by music in his head. He is currently being held in the Brown County Jail on $2 million bail.
