(Newser)
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Prosecutors have released a graphic video of the fatal shooting of an Arkansas police officer during a traffic stop last year. Police say they want to learn from the 20-minute video, which shows Jerry Lard shooting police officer Jonathan Schmidt. Lard, who was a passenger in the back seat of a vehicle Schmidt pulled over, shot the officer after he handcuffed the driver. He bolted from the car and continued firing at Schmidt and another officer. Schmidt, a 30-year-old father of three, can be heard pleading, "Please don't shoot me. Please don't shoot me again," AP reports.
Later in the video—some of which has been aired by KATV—the other officer can be heard talking to Schmidt as they waited for help to arrive. "We've got help coming, buddy," the officer can be heard saying. Lard was found guilty of the murder last month, and sentenced to death. The local police chief says the video will be used to increase training for nighttime traffic stops. "He'll be our greatest teacher and our trainer," he said at a news conference. "He's pushing us forward, so with that we'll be better for it."
