After a chase in November, police in Houston revealed body cam footage showing an officer-involved incident in which a suspect was shot multiple times. Anthony J. Garcia, 34, is accused with attempted murder on two police officers, felony evasion of arrest, and possession of firearm.
Parolee Involved in Police Shootout
J. Ready and C. Wade, the two HPD officers who fired their weapons, did not sustain any injuries in the incident. On Nov. 17, Houston police tried to pull over Garcia, who was driving erratically in a red Chevrolet and refused to stop, leading cops on a chase, Click2Houston reported.
Garcia was eventually apprehended after a short car chase. During the course of the pursuit, the officers reported that they saw the driver toss something out of his truck just prior to making the turn onto Bingle Road and the Northwest Freeway.
In the footage that was made public by the Houston Police Department, the suspect can be seen shooting multiple times at the officer’s windshield. After further investigation, it was found out that Garcia was armed with a VSKA AK-style pistol.
The report revealed that officers fired back and then quickly got out of their car after doing so. Following a brief exchange of gunfire, the cops can be seen approaching the vehicle in which Garcia is sitting and giving him verbal commands to raise his hands.
After that, Garcia was taken into prison without any additional incident taking place. At the time of the incident, Garcia was reportedly out on parole and wearing an ankle monitor, according to the officers.
As part of the Mayor’s Task Force on Policing Reform, the Houston Police Department (HPD) will release bodycam footage of all deadly officer-involved shootings within the next 30 days.
Troy Finner, the Chief of Police in Houston, expressed his agreement with the decision to comply to the advice and stated that there can be no talk of transparency without action.
Officer-Involved Shooting in Hays County
Ascension Seton Hays Hospital saw a shooting that took place on Monday afternoon, according to a press statement that was distributed by the Hays County Sheriff’s Office.
The event took place while the prison officer from Hays County was standing guard at the door of a pretrial inmate, who was later determined to be Joshua Leon Wright, age 36.
As reported by Hays Free Press, Wright allegedly attacked the police officer and then fled. The cop then fired his gun, killing the prisoner. Tragically, Wright passed away despite the best efforts of the hospital staff.
Sgt. Deon Cockrell, a spokesman for the Texas Department of Public Safety, told the Hays Free Press that using force against a pre-trial defendant may have been appropriate if the defendant was a convicted felon or was accused of committing a violent crime.
According to HCSO policy, the prison officer was placed on administrative leave while the investigation continued.
On Tuesday afternoon, Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra released a statement in which he called on the HCSO to address rumors that Wright was shot numerous times in the back, had his feet chained, and that a taser was available but not used.
