The Mesquite (Texas) Police Department and the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office are investigating Mesquite officers who shot and injured an unarmed Black man the cops suspected of breaking into a truck that it turns out belonged to the suspect, WFAA-TV reported.
“That truck was his. How can you burglarize your own car?” said Lyndo Jones’ attorney Justin Moore, who is angry because police officials failed to mention that point in their original public statements after officers shot his client in the back and stomach on Nov. 8, an omission that the legal team believe was not a mistake.
Jones, 31, was released from Baylor Hospital, but there are many unanswered questions about how the police ended up shooting a man who was simply trying to turn off his vehicle’s alarm. Lt. Brian Parrish, a police spokesman, said officers were responding to the report of a possible burglary. When the officer arrived on the scene, they encountered Jones in the truck. He stated that an officer shot Jones when a scuffle began. They claim Jones was trying to run away, so they charged him with misdemeanor evading arrest. After the arrest, Jones was transported to the hospital where they kept him handcuffed to his hospital bed.
Jones’ attorneys dispute the police version, arguing that the shooting was not justified. They said the cops shot their client within 10 seconds of arriving at the scene. The officers attempted a cavity search while Jones was lying in the street suffering from a shot to his stomach. When he reacted, they shot him a second time in the back, the lawyers alleged. They are demanding to see dash cam and body cam video of the encounter. Meanwhile, Derick Wiley, the 10-year police veteran who shot Jones, is on paid administrative leave while authorities investigate the case.