The sheriff’s department in Houston has released body camera footage of a deputy fatally shooting an unarmed Black man after he allegedly stole laundry detergent from a Dollar General.
New video of the July 8 incident shows Roderick Brooks, 47, being wrestled to the ground and shot by Harris County Sgt. Garrett Hardin after a foot chase.
Brooks family attorney Sadiyah Evangelista Karriem said the 47-year-old was shot near where his head and neck met, per the HuffPost.
The family is seeking an investigation by the Department of Justice for Brooks’ death on allegations of police brutality and misuse of force.
The footage released by the Harris County Sheriff’s Office only tells part of the story, according to the Brooks family.
Demetria Brooks, the victim’s sister, said that the deputy hit Brooks several times, which is not in the department’s footage.
“The world needs to see what they are doing. In this case, they are not showing everything,” she said. “What gives you the right to take someone’s life by shooting them in the back of the head and neck?”
A Dollar General employee initially called 911 after Brooks allegedly pushed her arm as he stole from the store.
Per audio from the call, the clerk told dispatchers that she didn’t believe the 47-year-old posed an immediate threat to officers.
“I just want him to get arrested because he is literally running to the back of the building right now,” she said.
Another alleged witness called 911 twice claiming that a man had “pushed a lady down” as he left the store with laundry detergent.
Footage released by the sheriff’s office shows Hardin hitting Brooks with his stun gun and pinning him to the ground. Brooks then grabs the officer’s Taser.
After shouting, “I am going to shoot you. Put that down! I will f***ing shoot you!” Hardin opened fire against Brooks.
“The Taser issue is a red herring, and if you see the video, he grabs the Taser but he releases it multiple times,” Justin Moore, another Brooks family attorney, told HuffPost. “He never grabs it and points it at the officer. He tried to get it to stop electrocuting him.”
The family’s legal team is looking to file a lawsuit against the Harris County Sheriff’s Office and the deputy.
Hardin is currently on paid administrative leave as the department investigates the fatal shooting.
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