The attorney for the Texas cop arrested on murder charges for shooting and killing Jonathan Price Saturday night is claiming Price tried to take the cop’s taser which made him fear for his life.
But there was no need to taser Price in the first place because he was not committing a crime.
Also, the shooting was captured on video which was reviewed by the Texas Rangers who made the decision to charge Lucas within two days of the shooting so there does not seem to be much truth to the attorney’s claims.
In fact, Lee Merritt, attorney for Price’s family, says the video is so blatant that the Texas Rangers should have arrested Wolfe City police officer Shaun Lucas that very night instead of two nights later.
Price, a 31-year-old man who has been described as a “pillar of the community,” was trying to break up a fight between a man and woman inside a gas station convenience store when Lucas showed up and tasered him, then shot and killed him. He was shot in the chest and back, according to witnesses.
According to WFAA:
The Hunt County District Attorney released a statement Tuesday.
“Though an arrest has been made, our office has not received the case from the Texas Rangers as it remains an active and ongoing investigation,” Hunt County District Attorney Noble Walker, Jr. said. “As is customary, this case will be filed with our office once the investigation is complete.”
That doesn’t sit well with family attorney Lee Merritt. Merritt is asking for more transparency from both the Texas Rangers and the Hunt County District Attorney.
“It’s a shame that he [the district attorney] is so hands-off with this investigation. This is what the people of Hunt County elected him for,” Merritt said. “The prosecutor directs that investigation. The prosecutor is an active force for justice in this region. He cannot simply allow the Rangers to police the other police.”
The gas station has cameras, but so far the video has not been released.
“The arrest should have taken place two days ago. The key piece of evidence is the video that they had the day that this occurred,” Merritt said. “It was a relatively quick arrest for a police murder, but why are police held to a different standard than all other criminals?”
Lucas’ attorney, Robert L. Roberts, issued the following statement as to what took place Saturday night at the gas station after Price tried to break up a fight between a man and a woman, according to CBS-DFW.
“Officer Lucas responded to a fight in progress call. He saw several people gathered at the front of the store. Mr. Price approached Officer Lucas. Mr. Price did not claim to be an uninvolved, innocent party. Officer Lucas told Mr. Price he was detained, and Mr. Price resisted. After Mr. Price refused repeated instructions and physically resisted, Officer Lucas deployed his Taser and continued to give Mr. Price instructions. Mr. Price resisted the effects of the Taser and attempted to take it away from Officer Lucas. Officer Lucas only discharged his weapon in accordance with Texas law when he was confronted with an aggressive assailant who was attempting to take his Taser. “
At this time, there has been no mention of the race of the couple fighting.