Here are things to know for Wednesday, May 12:
1. VIDEO: Body camera footage released in fatal officer-involved shooting in Cypress
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The Harris County Sheriff’s Office released the video Tuesday of an officer-involved shooting that happened in March in Cypress.
Prior to showing the video, HCSO Assistant Chief Mike Lee shared a statement describing what people would see in the video, as well as a warning for disturbing and graphic content. In all, the video is 12 minutes and 37 seconds. HCSO provided the edited videos and did not take questions from reporters saying the investigation is ongoing and referred KPRC 2 to Lee’s statement on the video.
Matthew Hurlock, 35, died after he was shot near the Cypress gas station on March 17. The shooting happened at Timewise convenience store in the 12000 block of Telge Road at 11:54 a.m.
2. Coast Guard searching for 7-year-old who got caught in rip current in Galveston
A 7-year-old is presumed to have drowned after he went missing while at the beach with his family, Galveston Beach Patrol confirmed Tuesday.
Coast Guard is searching for the 7-year-old boy after he was caught in a rip current on 37th and the Seawall around 7:32 p.m. The child was last seen wearing black shorts, according to reports.
Beach patrol was joined in the search for the boy’s body by a helicopter from the U.S. Coast Guard.
3. Vehicle pulled from lake in Pearland belongs to missing Erica Hernandez, police say
Police said the vehicle pulled out from the pond in Pearland Tuesday evening is the SUV that belonged to missing Houston mother Erica Hernandez.
“The car, I mean it’s her car. There’s a body in there, but I don’t really feel anything right now,” said Ashley Hernandez, Erica’s sister.
The family patiently waited in the neighborhood as dive teams searched the water and crews removed the vehicle. Ashley said the family wants to see the vehicle but hasn’t been able to yet because it’s considered evidence.
For Ashley, some things just aren’t adding up.
“There’s no reason for her to be over here,” Ashley said. “I think somebody had to have made her go in this direction for whatever reason.”
4. Gas stations report shortages as pipeline shutdown drags on
More than 1,000 gas stations in the Southeast reported running out of fuel, primarily because of what analysts say is unwarranted panic-buying among drivers, as the shutdown of a major pipeline by a gang of hackers entered its fifth day Tuesday.
Government officials acted swiftly to waive safety and environmental rules to speed the delivery of fuel by truck, ship or rail to motorists and airports, even as they sought to assure the public that there was no cause for alarm.
The Colonial Pipeline, the biggest fuel pipeline in the U.S., delivering about 45% of what is consumed on the East Coast, was hit on Friday with a cyberattack by hackers who lock up computer systems and demand a ransom to release them. The attack raised concerns, once again, about the vulnerability of the nation’s critical infrastructure.
5. Younger adolescents get ready to receive COVID-19 vaccine
Parents, schools and vaccine clinics rushed to begin inoculating younger adolescents Tuesday after U.S. regulators endorsed Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for children as young as 12, a decision seen as a breakthrough in allowing classroom instruction to resume safely around the country.
A handful of cities started offering shots to children ages 12 to 15 less than a day after the Food and Drug Administration gave the vaccine emergency use authorization for that age group. Most communities were waiting for a federal advisory committee that meets Wednesday to sign off on the move, while anxious families called clinics and pharmacies to ask about the soonest appointments.