Phoenix Police veteran, ASU professor talks Minnesota gun, Taser 'mix up'

Phoenix Police veteran, ASU professor talks Minnesota gun, Taser ‘mix up’

A mix up like a handgun versus a taser is what many people are discussing after a deadly Minnesota police shooting and how something like this could happen.

PHOENIX - A mix up like a handgun versus a taser is what many people are discussing after a deadly Minnesota police shooting and how something like this could happen.

On Sunday, an officer in Minnesota shouted "Taser" before pulling the trigger of her gun and killing 20-year-old Daunte Wright.

Bodycam footage soon shows the officer in shock after the shooting, saying, " ... I shot him."

Phoenix Police veteran and professor of criminal justice at Arizona State University, Kevin Robinson, says it is hard to fathom this kind of mistake.

"I find it hard to understand how an officer could mistake those two. I am not saying it can’t happen, but I find it hard to understand," Robinson says.

He says in police departments, officers are trained to have their taser on their non-dominant side and their gun on their dominant side.

Even with the training behind that, he says there are many differences between the two weapons.

"There is a significant weight difference. There is a significant feel. Their handles aren’t as long," Robinson says, adding, "They were made that way for a reason."

Robinson cannot speculate on what exactly happened during this incident until more information comes to light, but says, it is extremely important for officers to have continuous training.