Texas Cop Who Shot And Killed Pamela Turner Found Not Guilty
The Baytown, Texas police officer who fatally shot a 44-year-old woman with schizophrenia, Pamela Turner, in May 2019, Juan Delacruz,has been found not guilty of aggravated assault by a public servant, according to CNN.
The district attorney’s office said, “Bringing excessive use of force charges against an officer is always difficult and uncomfortable. We respect the jury’s verdict.”
Delacruz’s lawyer wrote in a statement, “When you’re a person and someone uses a deadly weapon against you – any person has a right to defend themselves against the use of a deadly weapon used against you in the state of Texas. Sadly, the prosecution of this case was politically, not factually, driven. It is reassuring for law enforcement to know that the jurors who served in this case were able to understand the facts of the case and reach the appropriate conclusion.”
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who represented Turner’s family, called the verdict “disappointing and heartbreaking” and added, “It is a national tragedy that Black women are continually neglected by the very systems that are meant to protect them.”
When the story went viral in May of 2019, the police immediately blamed Pamela Turner for causing Delacruz to fire five shots from his weapon. They claimed Turner grabbed the officer’s taser and used it on him as she was arrested. Delacruz, who has been with the department since 2008, then opened fire.
The incident was captured on cell phone video. Turner could be heard shouting, “I’m pregnant” during the struggle. Police claim Turner was not carrying a child, although they did not specify how they came by that information. Turner’s family claim Baytown, Texas police knew the woman was diagnosed with schizophrenia, and also say she had “several bad experiences” with the very police officer who ultimately killed her.
