After coming in between a couple who fought at a gas station, a man was fatally shot by the police in Texas, Saturday.
The victim, identified as Jonathan Price, a former football player from Hardin-Simmons University.
According to Price's family, the 31-year-old was shot during an incident at the Kwik Chek gas station in Wolfe City, which is around 70 miles away from Dallas. However, there has been no further information about the shooting.
Meanwhile, the city gave its statement about the incident through its Facebook page and said that there is already ana pending inquiry about the shooting. The statement also said that the officer involved had already been put under administrative leave while the investigation continues.
According to Yahoo! News, the post from the city did not mention anything about the victim, nor revealed the name of the officer. Also, it did not state the place of the shooting.
In light of the statement, an attorney from the family of Price, Lee Merritt, stated on Monday that the city's statement reflects the lack of transparency on the investigation. He also noted that people have already been accustomed to such a system.
In addition, a spokesman for the Texas Ranger, Lonny Haschel also released a statement confirming an ongoing investigation regarding a shooting that involved an officer. The statement noted that the investigation was requested by the Wolfe City Police. Aside from that no further information on the shooting was given.
Family wants officer indicted for murder
On the other hand, Merritt and Price's family has called on to the Hunt County district attorney to indict the officer who shot the victim on charges of murder. They also want the surveillance video of the incident to be released.
During a news conference that was held at the gas station where Price died, Merritt said that the family wants to see the documents related to the incident, including the official police report which has not been shown to them, and a copy of the store's surveillance video.
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In addition, they also called on to the Texas Rangers to name the officer who shot Price, identify him, and have him arrested.
However, they have not received any positive response to their requests. Both the Texas Rangers and Wolfe City Police gave further information about the shooting.
On Sunday, Merritt took it to Instagram to share what happened during the incident. He stated that Price intervened when he saw a man assaulting a woman at the gas station.
View this post on InstagramHis 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. A link to support his family is in my bio. I have spoken to the family and have agreed to do whatever it takes to get justice for JP. A post shared by S. Lee Merritt, Esquire (@leemerrittesq) on Oct 4, 2020 at 11:47am PDT
He also wrote how Price raised his hand in an attempt to explain what's going on to the police who responded at the scene. However, while he was explaining he was tasered until his body convulsed, and action which the police perceived as a threat prompting the officer to shoot him to death.
Moreover, Merritt said that Steven McCraw, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, has told him that he was not happy with what happened in the scene and how the officer acted after seeing the footage, Business Insider reported via MSN.
Meanwhile, the owners of the gas station refused to give Price's family and Merritt access to the surveillance footage.
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