HARRIS COUNTY, Texas – A candlelight vigil was held Saturday evening to mark the one-year anniversary of the fatal shooting of a man by law enforcement in north Harris County.
The vigil in memory of Roderick Brooks was held at 8 p.m. at 15515 Kuykendahl Road.
Brooks died on July 8, 2022, after being shot in the back of the neck by Harris County Sheriff’s Deputy Sgt. Garret Hardin.
According to deputies, Brooks stole from a Dollar General on FM 1960 and pushed the manager at the store. Hardin pursued Brooks in a foot chase and ended up deploying his taser. Authorities said while the two men were on the ground, Brooks was able to get ahold of the sergeant’s taser. That led to Hardin opening fire with his duty weapon, fatally striking Brooks.
Authorities said Brooks posed a threat to the law enforcement officer, however, in 2022 the family’s attorney Sadiyah Evangelista Karriem said several witnesses at the scene, in addition to pictures and videos circulating, painted a different story.
Karriem said witnesses told the family that Brooks was shot in “cold blood.”
Karriem further said the footage released by authorities appeared to be “doctored up.”
“We saw two different versions prior to July 22, and as I am watching this third version that was released to the public, what I’m noticing is that it did not show Officer Hardin punching multiple times as witnesses have come to us and told us - five different witnesses - that he pulverized Roderick Brooks with punches,” she said.
The family of Brooks filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against multiple Harris County departments and officials, including the deputy who fired the fatal shot in September 2022.
In September 2022, the Harris County District Attorney’s Office released a statement, which read:
“A Civil Rights Division prosecutor goes to the scene of every officer-involved shooting. Prosecutors thoroughly and independently review all the evidence in each shooting and present all of that evidence to grand jurors who determine whether an indictment is warranted. We do this to ensure that a grand jury, which is comprised of members of the community, determines whether there is sufficient evidence for a criminal charge.”
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office also released a statement at the time, which read:
“A Civil Rights Division prosecutor goes to the scene of every officer-involved shooting. Prosecutors thoroughly and independently review all the evidence in each shooting and present all of that evidence to grand jurors who determine whether an indictment is warranted. We do this to ensure that a grand jury, which is comprised of members of the community, determines whether there is sufficient evidence for a criminal charge.”
According to John Donnelly, Public Information Officer for the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, the case will go before a grand jury in the next session.
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