Police officer cleared of fatal shooting of unarmed man
A grand jury in Houston declined to indict a police officer in the shooting death of an unarmed black man.
The Harris County, Texas, grand jury deliberated for months to determine whether police officer Juventino Castro should face criminal charges for Jordan Baker’s shooting death.
The family of Baker, 26, anxiously awaited the decision Tuesday, along with a handful of protesters. Baker wore a black hoodie at the time of the shooting, and his family argued that he was profiled by Castro.
When the shooting occurred, Baker was at a northwest Houston strip mall that had been the site of a string of robberies. The Houston Police Department said Baker was looking in windows when Castro, who had been on the force for 10 years, approached him.
Baker struggled, ran away, then allegedly put his hands in his waistband and charged toward Castro. That’s when Castro shot and killed him. Baker was later determined to be unarmed.
After Tuesday’s decision, Baker’s mother defended her son, saying he was doing nothing wrong at the time of the incident.
“I intend to seek justice for Jordan,” said Janet Baker, according to the Houston Chronicle. “We just have a lot of work to do.”
Black lives matter.
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