On January 15, 2021, the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Department in Rusk, Texas, filed a custodial death report on 26-year-old Justin Lewis Pegues, who died on January 14, 2021. Mr. Pegues was in the custody of Cherokee County law enforcement personnel but was fleeing arrest at the time of his death. 

A watchdog group released a report on police-involved shootings in the state of Texas that occurred over the course of four years–2016 thru 2019. Data from documents filed for shootings are analyzed in this report. The goal in preparing findings was to identify patterns and compare citizen (civilian) and officer injuries and fatalities during police-involved shooting incidents spanning a range of different variables.

Findings in a Study of Police-involved Shootings in Texas

• More than half of all Texas officer-involved shootings happened in the most highly populated counties, including Harris, Dallas, Bexar, Travis, and Tarrant.
• Over the years included in this study, there was an increase in both the total number of citizens shot in police-involved shootings and the number of citizens who were killed in those shootings.
• More than 50% of the citizens shot by law enforcement officers died, which reflects the finding that the survival rate of citizens shot in a police-involved shooting is decreasing.
• The survival rate of officers shot during police-involved shooting incidents is almost double the survival rate of citizens shot by police officers.

See Part 1 of this continuing series.

Making implications of misdeeds on the part of any individual or institution is never intended on this website. Posts are added to help prisoners now or previously incarcerated in county jails in Texas.

–Guest Contributor