Media Contact

Imelda Mejia, ACLU of Texas, 346-299-6803, [email protected]

May 14, 2019

HOUSTON – News circulated Monday night of a video taken by a witness showing a Baytown police officer shooting a woman five times leaving her fatally injured during an attempted arrest.

Andre Segura, legal director for the ACLU of Texas, had the following reaction:

"The ACLU of Texas calls for an independent investigation into the tragedy in Baytown and the immediate release of the officer’s body camera footage.

"The escalation seen on bystander video from a simple stop to the use of brutal deadly force is shocking and raises serious concerns. There are too many questions about this tragic loss of life, and the public deserves transparency.

"The Baytown Police Department has stated that it was ‘disrespectful’ for bystander video of the shooting to be posted online – that is wrong. There is nothing disrespectful or inappropriate about documenting or sharing video of the way the police act in our communities, especially when they kill someone.

"Community members have the right to monitor, discuss, and ultimately control the way we are policed."