Current:Home > NewsHouston-area deputy indicted on murder charge after man fatally shot following shoplifting incident-InfoLens
Houston-area deputy indicted on murder charge after man fatally shot following shoplifting incident
View Date:2024-12-23 11:38:25
HOUSTON (AP) — A Houston-area deputy accused of fatally shooting a man while confronting him after a shoplifting incident has been indicted by a grand jury for murder, officials announced Thursday.
Harris County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Garrett Hardin has been charged in the July 2022 death of Roderick Brooks, 47, who was Black.
Hardin’s attorney, Justin Keiter, as well as lawyers for Brooks’ family did not immediately return emails seeking comment. Keiter had previously told KTRK that Hardin’s actions were legal and he would be exonerated.
Hardin confronted Brooks when he allegedly fled a north Houston Dollar Tree store after taking several items without paying for them, authorities said.
Body camera footage released by the sheriff’s office showed Hardin telling Brooks at a nearby gas station to stop and get on the ground or he would use a stun gun on Brooks. Hardin fired the stun gun and then knocked Brooks to the ground.
“Why are you tasing me?” Brooks asked Hardin before then telling him, “Please get off me man.”
On the video, Hardin could be seen pinning Brooks to the ground. Brooks tried to get up and then grabbed the stun gun, which had fallen to the ground.
“I’m gonna shoot you. Put that down,” Hardin could be heard saying on the video, which went black before Brooks was then seen with the stun gun in his right hand. Brooks then lost his grip on it.
It was not clear from the video if Brooks had the stun gun in his hand when he was fatally shot.
Hardin can then be heard on the video saying shots were fired and calling for medical help.
If convicted of murder, Hardin could be sentenced to up to life in prison, according to the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, which presented the case before the grand jury.
“Now that an indictment has been handed down by the grand jury, the charges against Sgt. Hardin will proceed through the criminal court process like any other case,” the district attorney’s office said in a statement.
Hardin, who had been on administrative duty since the shooting, will be relieved of duty, the sheriff’s office said in a statement. An internal committee will review the case and recommend possible disciplinary action, the sheriff’s office said.
Brooks’ family in September 2022 filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against Hardin. The lawsuit remains pending.
___
Follow Juan A. Lozano on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter: https://twitter.com/juanlozano70
veryGood! (6448)
Related
- Tom Brady Admits He Screwed Up as a Dad to Kids With Bridget Moynahan and Gisele Bündchen
- 3 bystanders were injured as police fatally shot a man who pointed his gun at a Texas bar
- Myanmar Supreme Court rejects ousted leader Suu Kyi’s special appeal in bribery conviction
- Storm drenches Florida before heading up East Coast
- Why Officials Believe a Missing Kayaker Faked His Own Death and Ran Off to Europe
- Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence placed in concussion protocol after loss to Ravens
- November 2023 in photos: USA TODAY's most memorable images
- Horoscopes Today, December 17, 2023
- Jason Statham Shares Rare Family Photos of Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Their Kids on Vacation
- Federal judge rules school board districts illegal in Georgia school system, calls for new map
Ranking
- All Social Security retirees should do this by Nov. 20
- 'The Voice' Season 24 finale: Finalists, start time, how and where to watch
- February 2023 in photos: USA TODAY's most memorable images
- Shopping for the Holidays Is Expensive—Who Said That? Porsha Williams Shares Her Affordable Style Guide
- Footage shows Oklahoma officer throwing 70-year-old to the ground after traffic ticket
- Amanda Bynes Reveals Why She's Pressing Pause on Her Podcast One Week After Its Debut
- Love it or hate it, self-checkout is here to stay. But it’s going through a reckoning
- Locked out of local government: Residents decry increased secrecy among towns, counties, schools
Recommendation
-
Powerball winning numbers for November 11 drawing: Jackpot hits $103 million
-
Fantasia Barrino accuses Airbnb host of racial profiling: 'I dare not stay quiet'
-
Hostages were carrying white flag on a stick when Israeli troops mistakenly shot them dead in Gaza, IDF says
-
September 2023 in photos: USA TODAY's most memorable images
-
New wildfires burn in US Northeast while bigger blazes rage out West
-
Greek parliament passes government’s 2024 budget
-
March 2023 in photos: USA TODAY's most memorable images
-
EU hits Russia’s diamond industry with new round of sanctions over Ukraine war