HOUSTON, Texas (CSU) – According to the relatives of a 27-year-old man who was shot and killed by Houston cops while attempting to serve him with an arrest warrant, the policemen never introduced themselves before opening fire.
Charion Lockett’s family’s attorney said Friday that newly revealed police body camera evidence from the Feb. 7 shooting backs up their claim that Lockett feared for his life in the minutes leading up to his death.
One of the lawyers, Taft Foley, said, “Why did they come up with firearms out to his house without presenting themselves as police officers?” “It’s why this case is such a tragedy.” It’s unfortunate since it might have been avoided.”
Lockett, a Black man, is accused of being the aggressor.
“Mr. Lockett was sitting inside his car in the driveway when authorities approached the property. “As he walked towards his front door, he stepped out and started shooting on cops,” Assistant Chief Belinda Null said in a video statement
accompanying the body camera footage published Thursday.
However, according to one of the Lockett family’s attorneys, no police footage shows Lockett firing. He didn’t have a criminal record, had a master’s degree, and was preparing to go to law school, according to his family.
“My son was a kind individual. He just cared about his family. He was the life and soul of the gathering. “He took care of everyone,” Shanetta Guidry-Lewis, his mother, said after a march by more than 300 demonstrators to police headquarters on Thursday.
When police shot Lockett, they were trying to arrest him for aggravated robbery with a dangerous weapon. On Nov. 26, he was accused of attempting to rob a guy he knew from high school with a revolver. Foley said he doubts the charge’s legality since his inquiry discovered that the police department’s request for an arrest warrant was first denied by a court.
Because the incident occurred outside of Houston’s city boundaries, police refused to comment on Friday, citing the ongoing investigation by the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.
Lockett was unaware of the warrant until he received a call from officials at 9:30 a.m. on Feb. 7, just an hour before his death, according to Foley. According to Foley, he informed officials he wanted to contact his attorney and bring himself up.
“He’s a bit unsettled.” He gets into his vehicle and sits in it, as he does on a daily basis, according to mum. “He meditates and prays in his automobile,” Foley said.
Lockett was in his car when six unmarked police cars raced to his house.
One cop in an unmarked red automobile can be seen unlocking the passenger side door as his vehicle rushes up to Lockett’s house in body camera video. While the vehicle is still moving and at least one shot can be heard, the cop lifts his rifle over the door.
It’s unclear who fired the first shot based on the video. There was no film of Lockett firing at cops, and no officers were heard introducing themselves to Lockett before the shooting started.
The cop sat down in his seat after hearing the first shot, then stood up and began shooting in the direction of the home while still in his vehicle. As his companion leapt out of the truck, the police proceeded to fire. Before announcing, “He’s down,” the cop could be seen shooting at someone in the front door.
During a news conference hours after the incident, Police Chief Troy Finner claimed four officers returned fire and were placed on administrative leave.
The cops who attempted to serve the warrant, according to Finner, are members of a crime-fighting unit that is “crucial in discovering violent offenders in our community.”
“We always hope for the best, that no one perishes.” “However, we must continue to perform our jobs,” he said.
“Hey dude,” a neighbour could be heard telling an officer at the site after the shooting on one of the body camera footage. He’s a nice young guy. He’s a nice young man. “Please don’t shoot him,” says the narrator.
“There isn’t a single video of Mr. Lockett discharging a gun or shooting somebody,” said Randall Kallinen, another attorney for Lockett’s family.
Lockett had a permit to carry a concealed pistol, according to Foley, and authorities should have known about it.
“The whole community is questioning why, why, why was this whole thing mishandled so badly that it ended with the murder of this boy, who’s a role model, who’s an example of what we want our Black kids to be,” Foley added.
In 2019, Houston police were criticised for a narcotics raid that resulted in the deaths of a couple. Following the raid, a dozen cops were charged.
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