Recently released video shows an officer from the Houston Police Department fatally shooting a Black man, moments after he was pulled over for several warrants. Footage shows the cop’s split-second decision to shoot, a deadly act one lawyer believes was done prematurely.
On Tuesday, May 24, civil rights attorney Ben Crump released the 27-second bodycam video of the April 27 police-involved killing of Jalen Javon Randle on his Twitter. He argues the officer, identified as Shane Privette, exhausted his firearm before his client’s family member could yield to a command to comply.
He asserts, and the video supports, the command to comply was being given at the same time Privette was firing his weapon and called the footage “heartbreaking.”
In a press release, he states, “This footage, while heartbreaking for the family of Jalen Randle, gives us a clearer picture of what happened to Jalen in his final moments.”
The timeline of the altercation, as played out through the clip, has Privette shouting as he exits his patrol vehicle on 8700 Josie Street, “He’s running! He’s running!”
He then attempts to tell Randle to show him his hands but shoots before uttering the word “hands.” He blasts, hitting the back of Randle’s neck, and watches him fall, before yelling as if surprised, “oh, sh-t!”
In a 10:32 minute compilation video of the incident released by the HPD, Assistant Chief Hardin said his office is providing this critical incident briefing, ahead of a completed investigation, to share with the public evidence related to the incident where Randle’s life was lost at the hands of a police officer.
“This critical incident briefing is intended to provide you with information about an officer-involved shooting that occurred in Houston on April 27th, 2022,” he said.
