A Texas man who tried to break up a fight between a man and a woman inside a gas station convenience store Saturday night was shot and killed by police responding to a call about the fight.
Jonathan Price, 31, placed his hands in the air after Wolfe City police officers arrived but they tasered him anyway, according to witnesses.
When his body went into convulsions from the tasers, the cops feared for their lives and opened fire, killing the man who has been described as a “pillar of the community.”
The officer who shot and killed him has been identified on Twitter as Shaun Lucas who has been placed on paid administrative leave but no official word has been made by the Wolfe City Police Department.
Witnesses say when Price intervened in the fight, the man then assaulted him. He was shot in the chest and back, witnesses say.
National civil rights attorney Lee Merritt, who has agreed to represent Price’s family, stated the following on Facebook.
His name was #JohnathanPrice. In Wolfe City, TX he was known as a hometown hero. Motivational speaker, trainer, professional athlete and community advocate— he was dearly loved by so many.
Yesterday he noticed a man assaulting a woman and he intervened. When police arrived, I’m told, he raised his hands and attempted to explain what was going on. Police fired tasers at him and when his body convulsed from the electrical current, they “perceived a threat” and shot him to death.
Price, who was employed by the Wolfe City public works department, did not have any prior arrests and had a wide range of friends, according to friends and family members, including former Major League baseball player Will Middlebrooks who grew up with Price and launched a Go Fund Me that so far has raised more than $55,000 for funeral expenses for Price’s family.
Middlebrooks also posted the above video, calling for peace in the community of Wolfe City which is a just over an hour’s drive from Dallas.
According to WFAA:
“Everybody loved Jonathan. Everybody,” said his sister, April Louis. “Black, white, Mexican, it doesn’t matter. He loved everybody. Everybody loved him.”
Former professional baseball player Will Middlebrooks grew up with Price in Wolfe City. In a video posted on Facebook, he talked about their close relationship.
“Jonathan was a close friend of mine from childhood,” he said. “We came up together, played T-ball together. We went to elementary school together.”
Price had been a star athlete throughout his life at Wolfe City public schools, family and friends say.
In June, Price posted the following on Facebook, describing his positive experiences with local police.