Being a law enforcement officer carries a lot of risk as well as a lot of heavy choices. One must make split second decisions that can sometimes affect whether someone lives or dies. Even though officers are supposed to be entirely just and are held to a higher standard than most citizens, sometimes these men and women do make mistakes; and sometimes these mistakes can result in an innocent person’s death. A man, whose family believes was innocent, was supposedly accidentally shot and killed by a police detective, and the family has brought a Texas wrongful death suit against the detective.
In late July, an APD robbery detective was working a case when he saw a man that he thought looked suspicious outside of a bank that had been robbed earlier that morning. The detective allegedly confronted and questioned the man, and the man fled from the detective. Allegedly, struggle ensued and the detective accidentally shot the man and killed him.
The man’s family believes that the man was innocent and was questioned at the bank because the detective used racial profiling. They believe that the man tried to get away from the officer simply because he was scared, and the family believes that the shooting was not accidental. The report does not say if criminal charges will be filed against the officer.
However, regardless if criminal charges will be filed or not, the family still has the right to attempt to file for a wrongful death suit. Even if there will not be criminal charges, the family still wants penance for the loss of their loved one. If the Texas wrongful death suit is successful, the family could be compensated for funeral costs as well as emotional damages due to the loss of their loved one.
Source: myfoxaustin.com, Family of Larry Jackson Jr file wrongful death suit, No author, Sept. 18, 2013