Police officer who pulled over Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie spoke out about his decision

Warning: This article contains discussion of domestic violence which some readers may find distressing.

The police officer who stopped Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie after a 911 call alerted authorities of domestic violence has confessed he has regrets over the way he handled the situation.

Officers were seen talking to a distressed Gabby and her fiancé Brian at the side of the road in police bodycam footage, recorded weeks before Brian went on to murder Gabby.

22-year-old Gabby was on a road trip across the US with Brian back in 2021, when she was tragically killed, and a new Netflix documentary has shone a light on what happened.

Police stopped the couple in their van, and questioned them about a dispute.

A visibly emotional and upset Gabby spoke to the officer, with Brian blaming her as the instigator in the fight, despite a phone call from a witness saying they had seen Brian slapping Gabby, and she also had marks on her face and arms.

The police officer took Brian to a hotel for the night, and left Gabby with the van.

Watch the Gabby Petito bodycam footage below of her interaction with the police:

Officer Eric Pratt of the Moab Police Department has now spoken as part of the independent inquiry into how the situation was handled, and says he was 'desperately [expletive] over that she got killed'.

He continued: "I would have done anything to stop it if I would have known that was coming.

"If I would have known [Laundrie] was going to murder her, I would have taken vacation to follow them, because I care about people, to the point where he was going to murder her … and I would have intervened and citizens arrested him in Wyoming! I would have taken my own time. I would have missed my family to go do that."

The investigation into the incident found that Officer Pratt and his colleague made several mistakes.

Brian was seen claiming that Gabby had started the fight when she tried to grab the keys from him, and he claimed he had held her face to push her away to defend himself while driving.

Despite being very upset, Gabby was shown to be cooperating with the police.

Gabby seen in happier times on the road trip (Netflix)

She asked if she could call her mom and said she was struggling with anxiety and OCD, and admitted she did lash out at Brian.

The investigation has resulted in a recommendation for additional domestic violence investigation training for the officers involved, as they didn't record the incident as domestic abuse.

It also questioned the fact the officers did not arrest anybody despite there being clear evidence there had been a physical fight.

Gabby's mother, Nicole Schmidt, had her lawsuit against the Moab Police Department and the City of Moab dismissed.

The judged cited a nearly 60-year-old Utah state statute as the reason.

Her family filed saying that police failed to protect their daughter, but the Utah Seventh District Court Judge Don Torgerson sided with the City of Moab and dismissed the suit, citing current state laws.

If you are experiencing domestic violence, please know that you are not alone. You can talk in confidence to the national domestic violence helpline Refuge on 0808 2000 247, available 24/7, or via live chat, available 10am-10pm, Monday to Friday.