HOUSTON – Attorneys for the families of two people who were killed during a botched Houston Police Department raid held a news conference Tuesday, continuing to demand justice in their deaths.
The raid happened on Jan. 28, 2019, on Harding Street in Houston’s southeast side. Investigators said Dennis Tuttle and Rhogena Nicholas were killed by HPD officers. Five officers were also wounded, investigators said.
The Harris County District Attorney’s Office launched a massive investigation, resulting in several officers being charged for alleged criminal conduct.
One of the former officers indicted for felony murder is Gerald Goines, who faces two counts of murder in the victims’ deaths. He also faces federal charges.
Several other HPD officers are accused of falsifying documents about drug payments to informants in the case.
[WATCH: FULL NEWS CONFERENCE]
On Tuesday, Michael Patrick Doyle, one of the attorneys representing the families, says they want answers.
“The City of Houston has a complete and thorough understanding of what happened despite their throwing up stop sign after stop sign against these grieving families. They know what happened. They have it within their power to step up and do what’s right, right now and they haven’t done it,” he said.
Doyle went on to say that “not a single one of the squad that attacked their home has stood trial, whether in state or federal court.”
Goines’ hearings have been reset multiple times. His trial date is now scheduled for Jan. 2023-- almost four years following the raid.
“Tomorrow is the year anniversary of the death of John Nicholas who many of y’all know led the charge to get the answers and was instrumental in pushing this forward,” Doyle said. “Probably more directly, as we are approaching four years nearly after the murder of Regina Nicholas and her husband in their own home, and after being promised transparency repeatedly by the mayor, by the police chief, by the police managers, we are here now because we have seen year after year, every single important question concealed from the public.”
Doyle said the family has filed legal documents in hopes of breaking through the trial without any possibility of further delay.
“As we’ve seen the developments across the country in Minneapolis and Louisville, where there has been a true transparency, true accountability for police misconduct, it’s not present here no matter the promises we’ve heard. That’s a failure with the system we have here now,” he said.
KPRC 2 investigates has followed this case extensively over the past several years.
We are reaching out to the Houston Police Department for a statement regarding the press conference and the claims made.
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