Black man's selfie with police officer who pulled him over shared on Facebook 400k times

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Greg Barnes, from Indiana, had been pulled over by Indiana State Trooper Shawn Cosgrove for speeding on his way home after work
After the officer issued him with a warning they got talking about how their day had been
The pair went on to discuss incidents where black people had been killed by police officers
After their discussion, Barnes asked Cosgrove if he could take the selfie
He posted it on Facebook with the message: 'We both thanked each other for our mutual displays of respect'

Published: 09:24 EST, 23 September 2015 | Updated: 18:12 EST, 23 September 2015

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A black driver who was stopped by a white police officer for speeding pulled out his phone - and took a selfie of them both smiling.

Motorist Gregory Barnes then posted the picture online to illustrate the men's 'mutual respect' for each other.

He said that after being pulled over by Indiana State Trooper Shawn Cosgrove, they started talking - and even discussed recent, highly publicized incidents where black people had been shot dead by white cops.

Barnes said of his conversation with Cosgrove: 'In the end we both thanked each other for our mutual displays of respect and agreed to take a "selfie" together to help tell our story.'

His picture has now been shared 400,000 times, along with Barnes's heartwarming explanation of why it was taken.

The selfie taken by driver Greg Barnes, with Indiana State Trooper Shawn Cosgrove smiling through the passenger window of the car

Shawn Cosgrove (seen in an official police photo) has previously been honored for his 'high level of service, dedication and professionalism'

Cosgrove pulled over Barnes on State Road 332 and issued him with a warning for driving too fast. Barnes, from Muncie, Indiana, told WishTV.com that he 'immediately knew' he was in the wrong.

After receiving the warning, he got talking to the officer. And he wrote in his Facebook post accompanying the photo: 'I was pulled over today for speeding. The officer did not know me nor did I know him, but we each showed one another a mutual display of respect in our interaction.

'He was doing his job, and I had made a mistake in trying to hurry home to get started moving that lead to our path's crossing.

'He ran my information, and in the end we talked more about how are (sic) individual days were going, and the situations and circumstances within our society that have lead to interactions such as he and I's to play out much more negatively, some even deadly, than ours

'Then we talked about the situation that lead to him pulling me over.

'In the end we both thanked each other for our mutual displays of respect and agreed to take a "selfie" together to help tell our story.'

Barnes added: 'I can't stress enough that NO demographic and/or profession of people are all bad. Neither of us are the enemy.

'We can continue to fight against each other until we are literally "black and blue", or we can show one another the respect we inherently deserve, not as "black man" and "blue police officer", but as humans. None greater, none less...#Respect.'

Barnes, who works as a vice president of sales at STAR financial bank, said he had been inundated by messages from social media users who had seen the photo - including 'tons and tons of offers for free meals or drinks'.

He is asking people inspired by his photo to donate instead to the Muncie Boys and Girls Club and the Roy C. Buley Community Center - both of which he credits for raising him from a small child.

Meanwhile Officer Cosgrove told WishTV that he agreed to the selfie being taken 'because of what he [Barnes] was wanting it for.

'I thought that would be a great moment, especially nowadays when there is tension all around the nation when it comes to policing.'

In 2012 the police officer was honored as 'Pendleton Trooper of the District' for his 'high level of service, dedication and professionalism exemplified in service to the citizens of Indiana and the Indiana State Police'.