On December 15, 2014, 35-year-old Dennis Grigsby Jr., who was an African American with a history of schizophrenia, was allegedly fatally shot by a Texarkana, Texas, police officer as he stood in a neighbor’s garage holding a spoon. On August 9, 2017, in Texarkana, a federal judge heard a motion in a wrongful death lawsuit filed by Grigsby’s family. The family alleges that excessive force was used against Grigsby. A grand jury in Bowie County did not indict the police officer who allegedly fired the single shot in the chest, which was a fatal wound. The motion being considered this week was a request for a dismissal of the case. During the hearing, an audio recording from the officer’s body microphone was played
The family is questioning such things as why he did not inform Grigsby that he was a police officer and why he didn’t park his vehicle in a way that he could illuminate the garage with the headlights. In answer, the officer did not take these actions because he was avoiding endangering himself.
The officer also points out that the neighbors who called the police said they heard moans and said someone was tapping on their window. The officer said he felt that it may not be a burglary but a different type of situation
The judge announced that recommendations and a report about this alleged fatal police shooting should be forthcoming within a few weeks.
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