Harris County Sheriffs released bodycam of deputies shooting a woman, mistaking her for an intruder
By: The Harris County Sheriff’s Office released body camera videos Saturday of their deputies who shot a woman multiple times in her apartment in east Harris County, as they responded to a burglary call.
The incident happened at the Pines of Woodforest Apartments on Uvalde Road around 2:06 a.m. on Feb. 3.
Deputies responded to a burglary call, and they later cleared the scene.
They were then told about a second burglary at the apartment complex.
Authorities made it to the second apartment and said they saw a broken window.
Deputies said they looked through the window and saw someone approaching the door with a gun.
“Someone’s coming,” said one of the deputies in the body cam video. “Gun!”
Deputies then fired their weapons, and the 28-year-old woman, who lived in the apartment, was shot multiple times. A second woman was inside the apartment visiting the other woman, and she was not injured.
The body cam video showed two deputies walking up to the apartment.
They went to the second floor, knocked on the door, and announced they were with the sheriff’s office.
One deputy then said someone is coming. In the video, you can hear deputies fire their guns collectively a total of more than two dozen times. One deputy even reloads before shooting more.
The video also showed some movement on the left side of the window.
“Drop the gun!” One of the deputies yelled.
Before the shots were fired, it appeared that part of the left side of the window was already open.
“I told Eboni to break the window. That would have been the third time. The window would have been broken since I stayed here,” said Laronda Berry on Friday, who rents the apartment.
The video also showed several bullets shattered the window more.
After the shooting, a deputy said “go down, go down,” to the other deputy.
They then retreated from the apartment.
It appears that a deputy then called for help and said, “We need people, shots fired.”
Now, local civil rights activists are demanding an independent investigation into the shooting. Civil and Human Rights activist Dr. Candice Matthews, Black Panther Chairman Quanell X, and Attorney Allie Booker held a news conference Friday morning to discuss the investigation.
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office says the shooting remains under investigation. In the meantime, both deputies remain on paid administrative leave, which is the protocol for officers involved shootings.
Once the investigation is complete, the findings will be presented to the sheriff’s office for review and any disciplinary action, if any, is deemed warranted.