The family of a man shot and killed by Houston police in April met with Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg on Monday.
It came as some activists and community members gathered outside the DA’s office calling for charges against the officer who killed Jalen Randle.
“We’re demanding that DA Kim Ogg bring forth charges of murder against this cop,” said Quanell X, a well-known community activist.
The shooting happened April 27 while HPD officers were trying to arrest Randle on three felony warrants, including felon in possession of a firearm and aggravated assault.
Randle was the passenger in a car police say sped away from officers, which led to a short chase.
A camera worn by Officer Privette shows the officer getting out of the passenger side of his vehicle, giving a command to Randle, but then shooting him before finishing his sentence.
“Let me see your hand- (gunfire) – oh sh**!” Privette can be heard saying on the video.
HPD said Randle was holding a bag and shoe and was shot after he reached back into the vehicle. Police say there was a gun in the bag but Randle never fired a shot.
Quanell X said Monday he believes the shooting was premeditated based on Officer Privette’s statements captured on the body camera video less than a minute before the shooting.
“(Officer Privette) said, ‘He ain’t leaving this neighborhood,’” said Quanell X.
However, officials with the Houston Police Officers Union said Officer Privette continues by saying, “he’s going to bail at that…”, then approximately 20 seconds later, finishes his thought with “he’s gonna go back to that house.”
“This was in reference to the fact that it appeared that the suspect was not going to leave the neighborhood in which he lived, but would instead bail out of the vehicle and run, a common behavior for many suspects,” wrote HPOU in a statement.
Quanell X called the Randle family’s hour-long meeting with Ogg “cordial”.
Arthur Reed, an investigator with the law firm of prominent civil rights attorney Ben Crump, spoke on behalf of the family as they stood alongside him after the meeting.
“The family is going through a lot,” said Reed. “We had a very meaningful meeting with Kim Ogg. We look forward to working with her office to bring justice for Jalen Randle.”
Ogg later told reporters she primarily listened to the family’s concerns, while also explaining the process and timeline for investigations into police shootings.
“The body-worn camera footage we’ve seen, but we don’t have really any evidence from the labs yet, so we’re waiting,” said Ogg. “The autopsy report is scheduled I think to be completed, and we’ll wait on that, and so that’s where we are. We’re early in the process, even though we’re a month into the case.”
Ogg says it usually takes between six months to a year to present these types of cases to a grand jury, where she says every police shooting case ends up.