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Houston police Chief Art Acevedo is expected to release the body camera video and respond to accusations made by union leaders after the firing of four officers involved in the shooting death of Nicolas Chavez.
Chavez was shot and killed April 21. Police said they believed the 27-year-old had a “pointed object” and charged at officers. A cellphone video recorded by a witness appeared to show Chavez on his knees when he was shot by officers.
In a news conference Thursday, the Houston Police Officer’s Union called the firings “unjust and deplorable,” saying the officers acted well within the law.
HPOU president Joe Grimaldi said the officers who responded to the scene did everything people across the country have been asking police to do, including doing everything they could to deescalate and retreat for 15 minutes before the shooting.
Vice president Doug Griffith — who was called to the scene following the shooting — echoed that sentiment.
According to Griffith, the officers involved were young and had not been on the force long. They were distraught at having to shoot a civilian, and even Acevedo agreed they followed protocol and it was “obviously suicide by cop,” but his stance changed due to political presser that “obviously he can’t handle,” Griffith said.
Houston police Chief Art Acevedo was joined earlier this month by Chavez’s widow and family members of other people killed in those shootings who said they understood why Acevedo was reluctant to release the videos.
Click2Houston.com plans to offer a live stream of the event starting at 3 p.m.
Source:: Houston News
