Killing of Pamela Turner explained

On May 13, 2019, an African American woman, Pamela Turner, was shot and killed by a police officer from Baytown, Texas.[1]

The incident occurred at a parking lot of an apartment complex where both Turner and Officer Juan Delacruz (of the Baytown Police Department), were living at the time[2] during an attempt to arrest her for outstanding warrants.[3]

Video footage of the shooting was captured by a bystander[4] and also by the officer's bodycam.[3] Police stated the officer was attempting to arrest her for outstanding warrants when she used his Taser on him;[5] at trial, Texas Ranger Lt. Eric Lopez testified more specifically that she used it on Delacruz’s genitals in the course of resisting arrest.[3] The bodycam showed the struggle between the two prior to the shooting.[3]

Turner's family said that the woman had suffered from schizophrenia and that Delacruz was aware of it; a neighbor also said that Turner was mentally unstable, that Delacruz was aware of it, and that he "had arrested her many times" and had used his Taser on her on the most recent occasion.[3]

During the encounter, Turner said to the officer “You’re actually harassing me” and “I’m actually walking to my house”. Just prior to the shooting, she said “I’m pregnant.” The police department confirmed that Turner was not pregnant.[6]

On September 14, 2020, a Harris County grand jury indicted Delacruz with aggravated assault by a public servant.[7] [8] In 2021, a jury found Delacruz not guilty.[3]

The family retained national civil rights attorneys Benjamin Crump and Devon Jacob.[9] the family sued Baytown and Delacruz in federal court, but on October 11, 2022, judge George C. Hanks Jr. dismissed the case.[3]

Notes and References

  1. News: Paybarah. Azi. September 14, 2020. Officer in Texas Is Indicted in 2019 Fatal Shooting of Pamela Turner. en-US. The New York Times. September 15, 2020. 0362-4331. September 15, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200915022018/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/14/us/pamela-turner-officer-charged.html. live.
  2. Web site: September 15, 2020. Pamela Turner: Texas charges officer for fatal 2019 US shooting. September 15, 2020. Al Jazeera. September 15, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200915071955/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/09/pamela-turner-texas-charges-officer-fatal-2019-shooting-200914204728448.html. live.
  3. News: Alexander . Chloe . Homer . Michelle . Jury finds Baytown officer not guilty in 2019 shooting death of Pamela Turner . 20 February 2023 . . October 11, 2022.
  4. News: May 16, 2019. Lawyer: Cop killed mentally ill Texas woman in "unjustifiable execution". October 5, 2020. CBS News. en-US. October 7, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201007051206/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/pamela-turner-lawyer-lawyer-cop-killed-mentally-ill-texas-woman-in-unjustifiable-execution/. live.
  5. Web site: Texas officer charged with assault in fatal shooting of Pamela Turner in 2019. USA Today. October 6, 2021. October 6, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211006062357/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/09/15/pamela-turner-shooting-texas-officer-indicted-assault-charge/5801905002/. live.
  6. News: Texas: woman shot dead by officer was not pregnant despite her claim . 20 February 2023 . . Associated Press . May 14, 2019.
  7. Web site: Vera. Amir. Raja. Razek. September 15, 2020. Texas police officer indicted after fatally shooting a woman with schizophrenia. September 15, 2020. CNN. September 15, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200915030404/https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/14/us/texas-police-shooting-juan-delacruz-indictment/index.html. live.
  8. News: September 14, 2020. Texas Officer Charged With Assault in Fatal 2019 Shooting of Black Woman. en-US. The Wall Street Journal. Associated Press. September 17, 2020. 0099-9660. September 16, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200916024702/https://www.wsj.com/articles/texas-officer-charged-with-assault-in-fatal-2019-shooting-of-black-woman-11600119861. live.
  9. News: Bleiberg AP. Jake. Lawyer: Texas city's police leaders must reform or resign. en-US. Washington Post. 2020-12-18. 0190-8286. September 29, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220929063824/https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/lawyer-texas-citys-police-leaders-must-reform-or-resign/2020/09/17/0d17f58c-f914-11ea-85f7-5941188a98cd_story.html. live.

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