HOUSTON – Former Houston Police Department Chief Art Acevedo has decided not to comment now on the bombshell testimony and then video evidence that played inside the courtroom during the murder trial of former HPD Officer Gerald Goines.
Acevedo sent KPRC 2 Investigates a text message Thursday morning after that video footage played, showing him directing HPD Officer Valeriano Rios to turn off his body camera shortly after the botched raid on Harding Street. The video revealed that Acevedo, who was police chief at the time, ordered Rios to turn off the camera. That order was unsolicited, as Rios did not ask for permission before complying.
Rios also testified that Acevedo instructed him to turn it off.
At the time of Acevedo’s order, officers were across the street from 7815 Harding Street. The scene was chaotic and unfolding with four officers being treated nearby for gunshot wounds. HPD SWAT officers were still arriving to the scene as they believed more suspects might be inside the home. The raid had occurred nearly 45 minutes earlier.
KPRC 2 Investigates asked Acevedo for comment on the video showing him ordering an officer to shut off his body camera. We also asked if in hindsight he would have done things differently, regarding that order.
Acevedo simply said, “I will be happy to discuss at the conclusion of all court proceedings.”
Thursday in court, Officer Steven Bryant testified that he heard Acevedo give the order to turn off the cameras and saw officers comply. He believed the cameras should have remained on to capture evidence of the raid’s aftermath.
The Houston Police Officers Union President Doug Griffith also commenting, “I find it odd that Chief Acevedo had officers turn off cameras in the middle of a scene still considered ‘hot,’ with possible suspects inside the residence. Had a sergeant or lieutenant done it, they would have been cited and disciplined. But no officer is going to violate an order given by the chief of police.”
“I question Chief Acevedo’s motives for telling an officer to turn off his body cam shortly after such a significant incident,” said one law enforcement source. “With his history of refusing to wear a body cam himself, I find it highly suspicious why he took such action.”
The Bench legal analysts, who’ve all worked in the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, weighed in:
Angela Weltin: “Former Chief Acevedo should have to answer to the jury and all of Houston as to why he ordered body camera recording to be turned off in the wake of the botched raid.”
Casey Gonzalez: “It’s not uncommon for officers on extended scenes to turn off their body cam footage if they’re not interacting with civilians or witnesses, but it’s concerning that officers were instructed to turn off their cameras in the aftermath of such a tragic event when the investigation was still ongoing.”
Joe Vinas: “This revelation supports the notion that HPD—at the highest level—suspected something was suspicious about this raid. It contradicts the narrative they maintained for months after the shooting.”
Erin Epley: “If HPD was still in the throes of chaos, turning off those cameras seems inconsistent with policy and common practice, inappropriate, and potentially self-serving.”
Rick DeToto: “When the chief of police directs an officer to turn off body cameras in a high-profile incident, it raises serious questions about what was happening inside the Houston Police Department. It looks like a cover-up.”
On Thursday night exclusively on KPRC 2+, The Bench: Gerald Goines will have a full show recapping this week’s events in court and what to expect on Friday.
That show begins right after the newscast at 6:30 p.m.