The Autopsy of Alva Braziel is Demanded by the Family
Thirty-eight-year-old Alva Braziel was allegedly fatally shot by two Houston, Texas, police officers last summer, and some of his family members spoke at a press conference on July 5, 2017. Widow Nikki Braziel was accompanied by about a dozen protesters, and she demanded justice for her husband. She announced that she wants all paperwork to be released to her, including the autopsy and details on the investigation. Last week, the Harris County grand jury found for a second time that the police officers allegedly involved in the fatal shooting of Braziel would not face any charges. At about the same time the grand jury decision was announced, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner released videos showing that Braziel still had a gun in his hand after being gunned down by police officers.
Braziel said she thinks the toxicology report should be released, to show whether or not Braziel had PCP or any other drugs in his system at the time of his death on July 9, 2016. It was about 12:40 a.m. when police officers encountered Braziel standing in the middle of Cullen Boulevard, waving a gun. The officers can be heard on audio, though body cameras were not turned on during the alleged shooting. One police officer tells the other it appeared the man in the street was trying to wave them down, until, officers say, he pointed a gun at them.
The family further argued that the law should be changed so that grand jury proceedings are no longer secret but become more transparent. The reason there were two grand jury decisions on the same case was because the family had argued that they didn’t think it was fair for them to be denied the right to tell their side of the story. That right was granted to them, but the decision didn’t change.
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