For the first time, the San Diego police officer who shot a boy and his mother in a road rage incident is speaking out about the verdict. Frank White was acquitted of weapons charges for opening fire on Rachel Silva and her son during the confrontation.
Frank White called into the Rick Roberts Show Wednesday morning on 760 KFMB radio. He spoke about going back to work, his acquittal and the affect of the case on his family.
"I did what I felt I had to do," White said. "If I would have seen Johnny sitting in that seat, I would not have tried to shoot past him."
Silva was drunk and high on drugs when she aggressively pursued Officer White in an Oceanside parking lot. He was off duty and with his wife Jackie at the time and says he opened fire in self defense when Silva sideswiped his car.
"It's always in the back of your mind when it happens - am I going to be able to do it? When my life is in danger, my wife's life is in danger. And it's something I guess now I know I can if I have to. I hope I never have to again," White said.
White says the three-week trial was stressful, and he appreciates all of the community support. He also has a message to fellow officers.
"We're just glad it's over. It's been a terrible ordeal. I really want officers to know they still do have the right to defend themselves," he said.
Frank White will go back to work on Tuesday. He'll be on desk duty until his superiors decide whether to allow him back in a patrol car.
He's still facing a civil suit filed by both Rachel Silva and her son Johnny.
