Family Says Suspect Shot By Police Was Unarmed
A Houston family wants the feds to investigate the fatal police shooting of an unarmed man Monday. The family says the man didn't speak English, but police say he was warned in Spanish.
"We have absolutely no belief that this officer acted in any way inappropriately."
Police union president Ray Hunt says the officer feared for her life when she responded to a call about a fight on Bissonet at Fondren. Police say the suspect refused to cooperate and refused to show his hands.
But civil rights activist Randall Kallinen says deadly force was not necessary.
"The officer should have probably done what's called 'take cover' and then from cover give commands instead of shooting."
But Hunt says hindsight is 20/20 and he says officers are not trained to use a TASER when they believe a suspect has a gun.
"I think it's very unfair to say that we're going to look at what happens after the fact whenever you have to put yourself in that officer's shoes, who's been called there and has been placed on the defensive."
Hunt says the suspect refused to cooperate and the officer believed he had a gun, so she opened fire.
Activists and the family say they want the feds to investigate because they don't trust police investigators or the D.A.
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