A Texas cop claimed he feared for his life after tasering a woman who then took the taser and used it on him, prompting him to open fire and killing her.
The incident took place on May 13, 2019 and was captured on video by a witness but it was dark and the witness was not very close so it’s difficult to tell if Pamela Turner took his taser as he claimed.
But even if she did, she would not have been able to use it on him without being manually reloaded, according to Houston Public Media.
And it’s also questionable as to why he had to taser her in the first place.
Baytown police officer Juan Delacruz said he confronted Turner, 44, as she was walking around her apartment complex because she had outstanding warrants but she resisted his attempts to arrest her.
According to Houston Public Media:
Delacruz was attempting to arrest Turner for outstanding warrants when she resisted, according to police. Video taken by a witness at the scene appears to show Delacruz deploying his Taser as Turner attempted to escape. Baytown police said Turner then attempted to grab the Taser, and fearing for his life, Delacruz opened fire and killed Turner.
But earlier this year, amid the anniversary of her shooting, documents obtained by Houston Public Media from the city of Baytown revealed that the Taser model Delacruz used was incapable of shooting a second set of darts without being manually reloaded. Turner’s lawyer, Ben Crump, became aware of the model of Taser after being contacted by a reporter, and used the information to put added pressure on the DA’s office. Ogg later confirmed she would bring the case before a grand jury.
Cagle, Delacruz’s attorney, said the Taser could still be used as a stun gun and cause pain if pressed against someone. In addition, he said the officer could still have been incapacitated if he had stepped on the ends of the Taser wires while Turner had pulled the trigger.
“If the trigger was pulled, it would be continuously cycling for that five seconds if you stepped on the (ends) or came in contact with the Taser, then you would receive it,” he said.
On Monday, a Texas grand jury indicted Delacruz on one count of aggravated assault by a public servant, a first-degree felony that can send him to prison for up to five years, if convicted.
Turner was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in 2005 and was believed to be having an episode that night. She claimed she was pregnant but that does not appear to be the case.