[Jonathan Price]
DPS: “Officer Lucas made contact with a man, later identified as 31-year-old Jonathan Price, who was reportedly involved in the disturbance…The preliminary investigation indicates that the actions of Officer Lucas were not (objectively) reasonable.”
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A Texas police officer stands charged with murder in the shooting of a 31-year-old Black man after a preliminary investigation determined his actions were unreasonable, authorities said.
Wolfe City officer Shaun Lucas responded to a call about a possible fight after 8 p.m. Saturday, just north of the city center, the Texas Department of Public Safety said.
“Officer Lucas made contact with a man, later identified as 31-year-old Jonathan Price, who was reportedly involved in the disturbance. Officer Lucas attempted to detain Price, who resisted in a non-threatening posture and began walking away,” a DPS statement said.
Lucas used his Taser and then fired his weapon, hitting Price, the statement said. Price later died at a hospital, according to the statement.
“The preliminary investigation indicates that the actions of Officer Lucas were not (objectively) reasonable,” it said.
Texas Rangers booked Lucas into the Hunt County Jail on Monday. CNN hasn’t determined if Lucas has a lawyer.
Price’s death follows a summer of outrage and demonstrations protesting the police killings of Black Americans, including Breonna Taylor and others. The charges against Lucas are also the latest example of police speedily arresting their own in controversial shootings.
The Atlanta officer who killed Rayshard Brooks was fired and turned himself in on a murder charge less than a week after the shooting. In George Floyd’s death, police within days leveled murder and manslaughter charges at the Minneapolis officer seen kneeling on Floyd’s neck. In Fort Worth, Texas, it took police only two days to charge an officer accused of fatally shooting Atatiana Jefferson through the window of her home.
Price intervened in a domestic dispute, attorney says
Civil rights attorney Lee Merritt identified Jonathan Price as a Wolfe City employee.
The Price family is “grappling with the reality that they’re never going to see Jonathan again,” Merritt said during a news conference.
Price was intervening in a domestic dispute before he was shot, Merritt said. “Mr. Price did not become violent, but there was a male who was aggressive towards a woman,” he said.
“He intervened, and the situation was resolved before law enforcement arrived, according to witnesses,” the attorney said. “Why this officer still felt the need to Tase and shoot Jonathan is beyond comprehension.”
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