‘I Don’t Have a Gun!’: Maryland Cop Opens Fire on Unarmed Dad Holding a Phone on the Side of a Highway, Then Realizes His ‘Huge Mistake’ and Starts Repeating Two Words Over and Over
Nathanial Richardson was being driven to the hospital for a hand injury in 2024 when his hat flew out the window, prompting the driver to […] ‘I Don’t Have a Gun!’: Maryland Cop Opens Fire on Unarmed Dad Holding a Phone on the Side of a Highway, Then Realizes His ‘Huge Mistake’ and Starts Repeating Two Words Over and Over
Black News Nathanial Richardson was being driven to the hospital for a hand injury in 2024 when his hat flew out the window, prompting the driver to pull over on the side of a busy highway in Maryland to retrieve the hat.
Meanwhile, Bowie Police Sgt. Robert Warrington pulled up behind the van to see if they needed help.
But he ended up shooting at Richardson – who was unarmed – striking another car driving down the highway. He then apologized several times after realizing his mistake.
On Wednesday, May 20, Warrington was found guilty of attempted second-degree murder, reckless endangerment, assault and misconduct in office – convictions that can land him in prison for 60 years – but the judge is unlikely to issue the maximum sentence when Warrington is sentenced in September.
For now, Warrington remains free on his own recognizance, still facing a lawsuit from Richardson and the van driver, who is also the mother of his two children. He is also facing a second lawsuit from the driver of the vehicle he struck when he shot at Richardson.
Officer Claimed He Thought Cell Phone Was a Gun
And the 12-year veteran from the Bowie Police Department will be terminated, according to a statement issued by police to local media.
Warrington’s legal fees were being paid by the national nonprofit the Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund, which will likely appeal the verdict.
“Anyone that’s seen the video has questions about what occurred, but calling it a crime, let alone attempted second-degree murder, is a whole different matter,” LELDF President Jason Johnson previously said in a statement, according to local media.
A statement on the LELDF website states that Warrington “saw what he believed was a gun in the man’s hand.”
“Warrington fired one shot which didn’t hit the man, but did cause him to fall over, drop the object and put his hands up,” the website states.
“Upon further investigation, the black object was determined to be a cell phone.”
LELDF further elaborated on its Facebook page by calling the indictment against Warrington a “political hit job” by the “Soros‑backed, anti-cop prosecutor Aisha Braveboy.”
Watch the video below.
The shooting took place on Sept. 12, 2024, while Cachett Farrar, the mother of his children, was driving him to the hospital with their two children in the back.
They were driving on U.S. Route 50 through Bowie when Richardson’s hat flew out the window, so Farrar pulled over to the inside lane of the road, and he stepped out to retrieve it while the rest of the family remained inside the car with the hazards on.
That was when Warrington pulled up, apparently thinking that Richardson was never an occupant in the car.
Bodycam Video Captures Officer Repeatedly Saying ‘I’m Sorry’
“Do you know her?” Warrington asks Richardson, who was holding his injured hand close to his body. “You’re here to help her?”
“Nah, she’s taking me to the hospital,” replies Richardson as he walks past Warrington to step back into the car.
Warrington responds by pulling out his gun and firing a single shot at Richardson, who fell to the ground next to the passenger door of the van.
“He had a gun!” Warrington says after firing off the single shot; bodycam video shows.
“What’d I do? What’d I do?” Richardson asks.
“He had a gun,” repeated Warrington as he searches for the nonexistent gun on Richardson.
“I don’t have a gun,” Richardson replies, still lying on the ground.
Farrar then steps out of the car in shock, repeatedly asking the cop, “What’d you do?”
“Why did you do that?” she continues. “Why did you do that?”
Warrington then realizes he had made a huge mistake and repeatedly apologizes, saying, “I’m sorry” six times
“He was getting his hat off the side of the road,” Farrar says.
The lawsuit filed by Richardson and Farrar accuses Warrington of abusing his Fourth and 14th Amendment rights through excessive force, lack of due process, assault, battery, negligent training and inflicting emotional distress.
“Without warning or lawful justification, Warrington stopped his police vehicle near Mr. Richardson, exited, approached him, posed a brief question, and then immediately discharged his firearm in Mr. Richardson’s direction,” the claim states.
“The bullet narrowly missed Mr. Richardson and struck a passing minivan.”
Second Lawsuit
The man driving the van that was struck by Warrington’s bullet was Folubi Olu-Borbity, who has also filed a lawsuit, accusing Warrington and the city of Bowie of assault, battery and negligence.
According to the claim:
During the course of the traffic stop, Robert Warrington negligently and recklessly fired his service weapon at the individual he was interacting with during the traffic stop.
The discharge of his firearm was negligent and grossly negligent and the bullet from the Defendant Warrington’s gun struck the Plaintiff’s vehicle as he drove by.
As a direct and proximate cause of Defendant Warrington’s actions, Plaintiff has suffered mental anguish, emotional pain and suffering, PTSD, and other fear related mental harm.
Warrington was indicted in October 2024, a month after the shooting and was also suspended without pay.
During his two-day bench trial, Warrington’s defense lawyers argued that the shooting was unintentional because he believed Richardson was holding a gun when he was, in fact, holding a phone. But prosecutors argued he should have known better.
“We’re happy with the outcome,” Richardson’s mother, Nicole Richardson, told local media.
“It’s unfortunate that two lives completely changed in an instant. Hopefully, with some counseling, hope and healing, everybody will be OK.”
