(NewsNation) — Police in O’Fallon, Missouri opened fire on a pair of 17-year-olds, killing one, who tried to flee from them in a car after officers spotted a gun in their vehicle during a traffic stop.

Officers pursued the teens in their vehicles before eventually catching the vehicle at a stop. With guns drawn, the officers got the vehicle’s passenger to surrender to officers. The driver was in the vehicle unconscious from a gun shot wound. He was taken to the hospital where he later died.

A loaded 9-mm handgun was found in the vehicle on the driver’s side floor board, police say.

The vehicle was called in as suspicious after it was seen with one male inside passed out, partially blocking a driveway with no plates and heavy damage to it’s driver’s side.

Former police officer Sean Larkin, said on NewsNation’s “Dan Abrams Live” that a review of just the body cam footage would make this appear like a “bad shooting.”

But Larkin argued context is important when evaluating this incident. Officers say they previously saw one of the passengers in the vehicle holding a handgun and that is why they feared for their safety and approached the vehicle with guns drawn.

“From the investigation when it came out the officer on the driver’s side of the car actually said when he was up at the window he sees one hand holding the gear shift, another hand in the car holding a firearm,” Larkin said. “Now listen, the tactics used in this were terrible this is something that needs to be evaluated by the police department.”

Larkin was referring to the officer smashing the car’s window with his gun before the car backed into a squad car and sped off. But Larkin said that wouldn’t amount to a charge against the officers.