Laura Garrigus: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know, David Joseph, a 17-year-old from Austin, Texas, was naked and unarmed when he was fatally shot by a police officer. A 17-year-old black teen was naked and unarmed when he was fatally shot by a police officer Monday morning in Austin, Texas, police say. 1 LSU hits 9th-inning homer to beat Texas, 1 dead after vehicle-pedestrian crash in N. Austin, Jason Johns death near lake prompts safety meeting, APD identifies victim in 3-vehicle deadly crash, Black-owned home values, homeownership rising, Advocates want lawmaker help with student dropout, Travis County calls for 13 changes to I-35 project, As Bowie archive finds new home at UK museum, start, 5 fun crafts for kids on St. Patricks Day, Inspired by the Iditarod race? If its done in 25 days, okay, if its done in 45 days thats okay too, we want a thorough investigation. Police Chief Art Acevedo fired Freeman after an expedited internal investigation. Sometimes it feels like a dream. So yesterdays events, as with all our officer-involved shootings, are tragedies that we look to avoid when possible.. Police urge people to avoid the areas of Yager, Tech Ridge and Canyon Boulevard for the time being. It is a tragic event for the police department, its a tragic event for our community, because no matter what the circumstances are behind that shooting, someone has lost a love one, whether it be a parent, a child, a brother or a sister, and thats tragic.. He posted on Twitter using the account @ProntoDavidJ. Una republicana de Texas dice que prohibir los colegios electorales es una cuestin de seguridad. Members from the Black Likes Matter Austin and the Austin Justice Coalition also demanded an outside investigation, but Chief Acevedo said that wouldnt happen as of now. In the statement, police identify the deceased victim as David Saldana. We as Black Lives Matter believe actions speak louder than words. However, a neighbor who witnessed the shooting said Freeman did not draw his gun until Joseph was about 8 feet away. In an unprecedented move, Austin City Council members rejected that contract last week, sending it back to the negotiating table with questions about finances and additional accountability measures. Now more than ever, we need your support to continue supplying Austin with independent, free press. Neither officer faced criminal charges and both are still on the force. I want to ask him if he said anything. She had a strategy: She would walk around downtown, spot a blank wall and call the business that owned it. Why wouldnt you want to be a minority if its so great? A spokesman at a news briefing near the site declined to say whether the man killed by police was armed. Other neighbors reported David acting strangely in the days leading up to his death. After the shooting, the rifle (previously assumed to be a lethal weapon), which remained in the room, was . All of our officer-involved shootings are tragedies, Austin Police Chief of Staff Brian Manley noted during the press conference. Im here because this is the community where my child goes to school and where my child plays outside. Leaving about 30 feet between him and David, Freeman switched on his lights and got out of the car. If her son had been white, she said, he would have been perceived as less of a threat and the officer would have done everything in his power to protect them. Its like telling somebody to put out a fire in their house slower.. Freeman, a patrol officer, has been placed on administrative duty per procedure. Joseph was shot and killed by Officer Geoffrey Freeman on Feb. 8, 2016 after Freeman responded to a disturbance call in northeast Austin. David Joseph, 17, was killed in Austin, Texas . Freeman was responding to a disturbance call and shot and killed Joseph after Joseph charged at him, Freeman said. according to the Austin American Statesman. Some witnesses also reported seeing the teen in the neighborhood behaving strangely the day before his shooting. In a statement issued Wednesday, city officials said they havent received Sullys lawsuit yet but are aware of the claims made by Josephs family: If the City does receive a lawsuit, we will take appropriate action to protect the Citys interests based on the allegations in the lawsuit.. A local artist, Mike Johnston, had agreed to paint the piece. They need to rethink this whole approach, especially if there might be mental illness issues., Jim Harrington, director and founder of the Texas Civil Rights Project said in a statement, It is almost incomprehensible that a young naked man would be considered dangerous such that a police officer would kill him., He called for a full, fair, and open investigation of the shooting. #LongLivePronto pic.twitter.com/KQwNgCETM4, LongLivePronto (@ysn_glomez) February 9, 2016. I think it starts on both parts, he said. Its been really difficult being told no or having no response to the question, Hey can we put this kid, this great kid can we put his face on your building?. On Feb. 8, Austin Police Department officer Geoffrey Freeman killed David Joseph, 17, fatally shooting him twice. Newly released documents from Austin police's internal affairs investigation into the fatal police shooting of 17-year-old David Joseph shed light on the possible mental state of the teen. during a Feb. 8 incident in the 12000 block of Natures Bend, called for Freemans quick termination from the Police Department and his swift prosecution, a grand jury reviewed the case and decided against pressing charges, shooting also caught the attention of presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. The officer was described as an APD veteran with more than 10 years on the job. Activists called for Freemans quick termination from the Police Department and his swift prosecution. Freeman told investigators he gave Joseph an initial set of commands, which he did not respond to. March 17, 2016By Philip Jankowski and Tony Plohetski, Gannett Co., Inc. document.write(new Date().getFullYear());. Although Josephs death was taken up as a rallying cry for many Austin activists and members of the community concerned about police-community relations, his familys feelings toward police a year after his death illustrate the complexity of the issue. The same day, at 9:21 a.m. a resident calls police to report a male suspect clad in a dark sweatsuit walking behind a fence line. So I think we were able to achieve a whole lot today. Seventeen-year-old David Joseph had been shot and killed in February 2016 by an officer with the Austin Police Department. His mother said she didnt notice any of the erratic behavior multiple witnesses described to police. I believe hes already been forgotten, she said. We have a common goal, the chief of police said. In recent years, several unarmed suspects have been shot by police, including: Daniel Rocha, 18, shot in the back during a 2005 confrontation with police in southeast Austin; Bryon Carter, 20, shot four times in 2011 while sitting in a car in East Austin; and Kevin Brown, 25, shot twice in the back near an East Austin nightclub. Vanessa Bissereth learned of her cousins death in the newspaper. AUSTIN, Texas Geoffrey Freeman, the former Austin Police officer who shot and killed unarmed, naked teenager David Joseph on February 8, will not face charges after a Grand Jury on Tuesday chose not to indict him, according to the Travis County District Attorney's Office. Josephs friend told police that Joseph was behaving normally up until January or early February. But audio was recorded. It would be to talk to Officer Freeman.. The Austin police department is firing an officer who shot and killed a naked and unarmed teenager in the street last month. Reporters asked police whether Joseph had any previous criminal record or mental health issues. The teen had exhibited strange behavior for two months prior to his death, according to an interview given by one of his friends to police. (Twitter) Joseph was a student at John B. Connally High School in Austin.. He said that incident was just a matter of seconds.. Acevedo referred to another officer-involved shooting on July 2013, when former APD officer Charles Kleinert came across Larry Jackson who was allegedly trying to withdraw money from another persons account. The suit places blame on Austin police, arguing that the departments officer training contributed to the shooting by instructing officers to never retreat and failing to change departmental behavior despite a history of disproportionate deadly violence against African-Americans. A tense situation is unfolding in Austin, Texas as details of a police shooting of an unarmed Black teenager on Monday continue to emerge. We are shocked and saddened that he was taken from us in an unexpected and violent way, and are struggling to understand how our child was stolen from us by the police, his family said in a statement. The Chronicle welcomes opinion pieces on any topic from the community. All Rights ReservedSend us feedback, Grand jurors to weigh police shooting death of David Joseph in May, Austin police officer fired over David Joseph shooting files appeal, Austin police fire officer who fatally shot naked teen David Joseph, Autopsy released in David Joseph shooting finds drugs but no PCP, Autopsy on teen killed by Austin police officer sealed. At that City Hall hearing, more than 200 people testified about the police contract, including Davids brother Mark. I wanted to give his voice back to him., PublishedDecember 19, 2017 at 6:06 AM CST. She said she was tired. Many said they would call back, but never did. Ive already got too much stress in the world to have hate in my heart towards this person, even though he took a valuable person in my life who I love.. Sully sued the city and Freeman for an unstated amount of damages. David Joseph, a 17-year-old Austin resident, was fatally shot by Officer Geoffrey Freeman at about 10:30 a.m. after Freeman was called to an apartment complex for a "disturbance." The. We have issues here in Utopia.. And second, Freeman initially told investigators that he didnt have enough time to transition from his gun to a stun gun or pepper spray. Updated November 30, 2021. Ralph Barrera / American-Statesman. We commissioned an artist to paint a mural of my cousin who was killed on Feb. 8 by a police officer. A note to readers: Bold and uncensored, The Austin Chronicle has been Austins independent news source for over 40 years, expressing the communitys political and environmental concerns and supporting its active cultural scene. Your voice is very powerful. According to police, dashcam video does not show the part of the encounter when shots were fired. Acevedo said the full details of the internal affairs inquiry would not be released publicly because of an ongoing investigation by the Travis County district attorneys office, which is expected to result in the case being put before a grand jury to decide whether Freeman should be indicted on criminal charges. I urge people to not demonize a person, Officer Freeman is a person that but for this horrible set of circumstances served honourably, but based on these set of circumstances we do not believe he should remain on the department, Acevedo said. He had responded to reports from residents saying a man was roaming the neighborhood acting erratically. In the last year, Davids name has been brought up at rallies, political events, and during the recent discussion over the police contract. Jackson, an African American, was shot in the back of the neck during the struggle. After again asking Joseph to stop, Joseph reportedly failed to comply and was shot by the officer. It is very painful.. We think the officer should be fired and criminally charged, he said when asked what his ultimate aim was in calling for justice. The black teen was naked and unarmed, but police had been called to the scene for reports of a suspicious person who was walking on private property and, according to witnesses, harassing residents with his erratic behavior. Michael Ramos should be alive. Freeman was placed on administrative leave and subsequently fired. The officer was placed on administrative leave immediately following the incident, which is customary practice after officer-involved shootings. Rather than appeal his firing, Freeman settled with the city in December 2016 for $35,000. Gannett Co., Inc. document.write(new Date().getFullYear());. Three officers were shot in the 2300 block of Blue Ridge Boulevard in Kansas City, Missouri, on Tuesday night. Assistant Police Chief Brian Manley would not speculate why Freeman did not use his. According to the Austin American-Statesman, a patient was transported to Round Rock Medical Center with critical injuries. The shooting also caught the attention of presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, who invited Sully and Josephs two brothers, Mark and Fally Joseph, to attend a speaking event while she was on a fundraising tour in Texas last month. Today is not [the day] to talk about the past of this young man, Austin Police Department Chief Brian Manley told reporters. Manley also didnt release the name of either the officer involved in the incident or the suspect. Even before Freeman encountered Joseph, he told investigators he suspected that Joseph was possibly experiencing excited delirium or maybe a mental breakdown of some sort, based on the 911 calls police were receiving. Joseph and Freeman are both black. The dead teenager -- who was 17 years old, not 18, as originally disclosed -- was identified as David Joseph. And we feel like with the police we are safe.. At his side were some of the same protesters who had spent the day outside City Hall, including Moore. His death still affects me the same way it did when it initially happened, she said. Why is that? Freeman had arrived at the scene to follow up on a disturbance. Freeman told investigators that, if he encountered this same situation again, he would not do anything differently. But not all of them are good., He killed all of us because every day David is in my mind. There are so many things, she said through tears. Police responded to an apartment complex in the 300 block of East Yager Lane late Monday morning after calls were made about a suspicious man roaming the neighborhood, police said. Josephs autopsy found he had Xanax and marijuana in his system at the time of his death, but that he tested negative for drugs such as PCP. I pray every single day for every one all the officers., They have family just like I do, Sully said. Until last February when a police officer shot her son. Its been a year since 17-year-old David Joseph was fatally shot by a police officer just a few blocks from his home. Freeman had arrived at the scene to follow up on a disturbance call when he saw Joseph in the middle of the street. If an officer is convincing in his or her description of the decision process -- that the use of force was necessitated by a fear or the perception that without using that force that officer or other people would be in jeopardy then the law grants a defense, Moore said. Email her at audrey@kut.org. A police department spokesman said that Freeman shot Joseph within seconds of encountering him at about 10.30am. In June 2004, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) lodged a complaint with the U.S. Department of Justice for the perceived level of disproportionate officer shootings. It's been a year since 17-year-old David Joseph was fatally shot by a police officer just a few blocks from his home. Freeman fires his gun, but the killing is out of camera view, Acevedo said. Freeman, a 10-year. The police monitor said even though her office is involved in the internal affairs investigation, it does not take part in the Special Investigation Units (SIU) investigation. She longboards instead of drives. The death of Joseph this week also adds another grim statistic related to the number of unarmed suspects shot by police. The teenager was unarmed. 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