A Texas man was gunned down in his own driveway by police officers yesterday morning after he came out of his house to check out a neighbor's burglar alarm.
The death of 72-year-old Jerry Waller, shocked the quiet Fort Worth community, where six shots rang out just before 1am.
Mr Waller was reportedly awoke after a burglar alarm had gone off at a home across the street. He grabbed his .38 caliber handgun and went outside to investigate.
Police responding to the alarm instead went to Mr Waller's home, where they encountered him in his driveway and near the garage.
Fort Worth Police Cpl Tracey Knight told reporters that the officers - both rookies who have been with the department for less than a year - 'felt threatened' by the elderly grandfather - and shot him.
A neighbor, Fort Worth City Councilwoman Becky Haskin told the Star-Telegram newspaper: 'It is really an awful, terrible thing.'
She said that she was told by the police that an officer asked Waller to put down the weapon, but he would not comply.
Despite that claim, Mr Waller's brother, Johnny Waller, said that his brother would have dropped his gun if officers asked him to.
