Black man killed by Houston cop was shot in back of neck, family says autopsy shows
An attorney for the family of a 29-year-old Black man fatally shot last month by a Houston police officer says an independent autopsy shows he was shot in the back of his neck.
Jalen Randle was shot April 27 as he exited a vehicle, police said, adding that he was being pursued because he was wanted on three felony warrants.
"The witnesses have said that he got out of the car and was running away. We believe the body cameras will all show it," attorney Ben Crump said at a news conference Wednesday.
Crump called on police to immediately release the body camera footage. Police said Wednesday that the footage will be released within 30 days of the shooting but didn't give a specific release date.
The Harris County medical examiner's office lists Randle's cause of death as a gunshot wound to the neck, but its full autopsy hasn't been released.
Police say officers tried to pull over a vehicle after seeing Randle get into its passenger seat, but the driver didn't stop until officers eventually blocked its path.
Police say Randle then exited and an officer shot him.
Police say Randle was in possession of a bag with a gun in it but Randle didn't fire any shots.
"They don't get the right to be the judge, the jury and the executioner. They don't get that right," Crump said at the news conference, CBS Houston affiliate KHOU-TV reports.
Crump said the family and community are demanding "justice, transparency and accountability.
According to KHOU, Tiffany Rachal, Randle's mother, fought back tears at the news conference, saying she spoke to her son just an hour before he was shot and his last words to her were, "I love you, Mama."
"When the police officer struck my child, he took my heart," she said. "I seen everything that's going on in the world, and I never thought it would be me. It's nothing that you all can say to me, it's nothing that you can do, 'cause you can't bring him back. And I want justice for my child."
Warren Randle said the toughest thing for him was breaking the news to Jalen's young daughter, who was at the news conference.
"I'm in a situation now that I thought I'd never be in, having to explain to my 5-year-old granddaughter what happened to her father," Randle said. "This, in itself, is gotta be the most difficult thing I've ever encountered."
