Release of Body Camera Footage of an Alleged Fatal Police Shooting in Brownsville, Texas is Disputed
Body camera video of a controversial alleged police shooting that claimed the life of a 31-year-old man in Brownsville, Texas, has not been released, in spite of requests to that effect. On October 5, 2017, officers with the Brownsville Police Department went to the man’s home for the purpose of serving a felony warrant for burglary of habitation. When they arrived at the address, they said the door to the apartment was open. Police say when they went inside, the suspect confronted them and was holding a knife in his right hand. Police say they backed out of the apartment and ordered the man to drop the weapon. According to two detectives, the suspect then lunged at them with the knife in his hand. At that time, police officers allegedly opened fire. The man was allegedly shot several times. He was quickly transported to Valley Baptist Medical Center-Brownsville, where he was pronounced dead.
The family members of the man who was killed say he had been awakened from his sleep by police knocking on their door. The man’s aunt claims that he did not have a knife in his possession when he was shot.
The officers involved in the alleged police shooting have been on administrative leave since the incident. The fatal encounter is under investigation. A newspaper filed a request based on the Texas Public Information Act. They are asking for access to the body camera video taken during the shooting as well as police reports and all related radio communications.
The Texas Department of Public Safety and the Brownsville Police Department wrote the Texas Attorney General’s Office, saying that the shooting is still being investigated and early release of the video would interfere with both the investigation and any prosecution in the case. The Texas Rangers are conducting the ongoing investigation.
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