Harris County Deadly Force Claims

A Houston newspaper reported on January 17, 2010 that shootings by police officers in agencies across Harris County reached the highest level in nearly two decades in 2009, with 60 civilians being shot - 27 of whom were killed.  See, Olsen, Lise and James Pinkerton, “The Rise of Deadly Force,” Houston Chronicle, 1/17/10, p. 1.  As reported in the article, that amount is nearly twice as many shootings as the area’s annual average, based on the last five years of reports.  While most of the people shot were armed, the article states that, in December, a man was shot and wounded by a rookie Houston Police Department officer who believed the man was wielding a gun.  However, the man held a hairbrush.  In addition, the article states that in several other shootings, people initiated confrontations with police and drew weapons after being surrounded by officers or SWAT teams in what family members described as attempts to “commit suicide by cop.” 

As further reported in the article, Houston Police Department Interim Police Chief Charles McClelland stated that the Houston Police Department (HPD) responds to over a million calls a year and has 3,600 men and women in uniform on patrol.  He added that officers do not want to have to shoot.

According to the news report, HPD officers participated in 29 shootings in 2009, involving 15 deaths and 13 injuries.  In this regard, the article stated that the total for HPD is about the same as reported by the far larger Los Angeles Police Department, which had 27 shootings, resulting in 12 deaths. 

Questions over 2009’s record shootings mirror issues raised in the past by lawyers and civil rights activists.  According to one Houston lawyer, Houston leaders have failed to keep promises to prevent deaths of unarmed citizens.  The founder of Civilians Down, a citizens rights group focused on shootings of the mentally ill, added that shootings of the mentally ill are troubling and if there is no change then unnecessary and unjustified shootings will continue to occur.

Whether excessive use of force and use of unjustified deadly force by police officers occurs in Houston or Harris County, Texas, victims of police mistreatment may contact local law enforcement or the United States Department of Justice to determine if further action is warranted.  In addition, excessive and deadly force victims may contact a lawyer to determine if a civil rights lawsuit is ultimately appropriate under the facts and circumstances of the potential civil rights violation claim.