HOUSTON – Nationally-renowned civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump held a news conference Thursday with the family of Jalen Randle to discuss what they are calling the disturbing and violent record of Houston Police Officer Shane Privette, who shot and killed the Black man on April 27.
Crump and the family said that body camera footage from the incident clearly shows that Randle, with no visible weapon, was running away from police when he was shot in the back of the neck. Randle’s family feels he was not provided enough time to respond to the officer’s command before being gunned down.
On Monday, June 6, HPD Chief Troy Finner released the following statement regarding the incident:
Statement from Police Chief @TroyFinner in officer-involved shooting incident: #hounews pic.twitter.com/r8cP74UFZ5
— Houston Police (@houstonpolice) June 6, 2022
Crump, who gained national recognition in the Trayvon Martin case, said he plans on bringing a civil lawsuit against the Houston Police Department on behalf of Randle’s estate. He and the family reviewed the bodycam video, and heard what they feel proves that Privette intended to kill Randle.
[Watch the complete press conference in the video player above.]
Opposing statements
“His motive was to kill my son,” Randle’s mother, Tiffany Rachal, said. “I am devastated, I am angry and for no one to come out to say anything to us is absurd to me.”
Rachal claims Privette could be heard in the video saying, “He won’t live to leave this neighborhood,” just minutes before the shooting, but law enforcement officials said important information is being left out.
Ray Hunt, executive director of the Houston Police Officers’ Union, also listened to the tape and told KPRC 2 that it is very clear that Privette flubbed his words. Hunt said he finds it interesting that Crump nor the family completed Privette’s sentence at the press conference.
According to Hunt, “He ain’t gonna liv-leave this neighborhood…” Privette could be heard saying, correcting himself, “…he’s gonna bail at that… (interrupted).”
Twenty seconds later, Privette comes back on the audio, saying, “he’s going to go back to that house.”
Previous issues
Despite the opposing sides, the family feels their loved one’s death was unnecessary, and this is not the first time Privette’s actions have come under scrutiny.
The officer was indicted by a grand jury in 2019 for first-degree aggravated assault on a Black citizen that occurred during an on-duty incident. KPRC 2 Investigates reported on the case back then.
According to records, on Nov. 14, 2017, Dwayne Walker was being arrested for manufacture and/or delivery of less than a gram of a controlled substance.
During the arrest, Privette allegedly struck Walker in the face with his knee in a gas station parking lot. Walker sustained various bruises and an excessive force investigation was launched. Charges against Privette were later dropped in 2019.
Nonetheless, Crump and the family believe Privette should not have been allowed to work as a law enforcement officer in the community after the previous incident. The civil rights attorney is calling on District Attorney Kim Ogg to file charges against Privette.
“How long will it take for them to arrest the officer who killed Jalen Randle? Shot to the back of the head, what else needs to be said?” Crump asked.
In May, police released video showing different angles of the shooting from body-worn cameras from various officers, including Privette. From where the video begins, the statement that is being called into question is not on the recording.
Warning: The video is graphic.
Statements released
The DA’s office sent the following response to KPRC 2:
“In every officer-involved shooting, our Civil Rights Division prosecutors conduct a thorough, independent review of all the evidence and present every bit of evidence to a Harris County grand jury to determine if a criminal charge is warranted.
“We also await the results of the Houston Police Department’s investigation.”
The Houston Police Department also sent KPRC 2 a response, which read, “Officer Privette is on administrative duty pending the outcome of the investigation. No statement at this time.”
Houston Police Officers’ Union released the following statement (we have left in its entirety):
“It has come to the attention of the HPOU that Attorney Benjamin Crump has made accusations that are completely untrue regarding Officer Shane Privette. First, Mr. Crump claims that Officer Privette had a history of abuse toward African Americans because he was indicted in 2019 for assault by a public servant. What Mr. Crump fails to say is that Officer Privette was initially cleared by the Department and the Independent Police Oversite Board (made up of civilians) in the incident in question, and was later exonerated by a second grand jury. The initial grand jury that indicted Officer Privette was only given a portion of the case by the D.A.’s Office and heard no testimony (not even giving Officer Privette the opportunity to appear and testify in his own defense). The D.A.’s Office later realized their mistake in failing to present the complete case and took the case to a second grand jury, which no-billed the officer after hearing a thorough presentation of the evidence. The case was subsequently expunged.
“The second statement which Mr. Crump makes that is untrue is that Officer Privette made the statement, “He is not going to live to leave this neighborhood.” Mr. Crump’s claim is not true and completely misrepresents Officer Privette’s actual/complete statement, which can be heard clearly on his Body Worn Camera recording. Officer Privette, while hearing the chase of the suspect going around a neighborhood, makes the comment, “He ain’t gonna liv-leave this neighborhood (correcting a word flub)… he’s going to bail at that…” (Officer Privette is then interrupted by other officers on the radio). Approximately 20 seconds later, Officer Privette can be heard finishing his thought saying, " He’s gonna go back to that house.” This was in reference to the fact that it appeared that the suspect was not going to leave the neighborhood in which he lived, but would instead bail out of the vehicle and run, a common behavior for many suspects.
“It is convenient that Mr. Crump leaves out the entire context in which the statement was made, and inaccurately quotes Officer Privette, who NEVER said “live to leave.” Mr. Crump’s claim is just not accurate, and we are calling for Mr. Crump to retract his statement and tell the truth.”
UPDATE:
On Monday, community activist Quanell X, representatives from the Rainbow Push Coalition and other civil rights advocates held another news conference, this time in front ot the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, calling for #JusticeForJalen.
The family addressed the media after having a meeting with Ogg, saying that the meeting was “cordial” and they feel confident that they would get the movement they are seeking in the case.
“We are sick of this. We love our sons, too. We love our men, too,” Quanell X said. “Where are the good cops?”
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