Last week, video of Pamela Turner, 44, being shot dead by a Baytown, Texas, police officer on May 13, 2019, shocked viewers.
Turner is described as having a history of mental illness and shouted “I’m pregnant” as she struggled with Baytown Police Officer Juan Delacruz. Turner has now been laid to rest, and Delacruz is back on the job. But family, friends, and activists are not done in their quest for justice and answers in Turner’s death.
Turner’s family has hired famed social justice advocate and attorney Ben Crump to represent their concerns to the public. On Wednesday, May 22, Crump revealed the results of the autopsy performed on Turner. It was determined that Turner was not pregnant at the time she was shot by Delacruz despite her exclamation. Also revealed was the location of the gunshot injuries that caused her death.
Delacruz is heard on the video firing his weapon five times, and three of those shots hit Turner in her cheek, her chest and her abdomen. The latter two shots proved fatal.
Crump stated during a news conference that Turner’s wounds had no powder burns, which means that Delacruz was a safe distance away when he shot her multiple times. Delacruz reportedly was well aware that Turner suffered from mental illness, having had previous encounters with her.
“The police officer never de-escalated the situation ever,” Crump said. “Even when she was on the ground and he was a safe distance away from her, he continued to escalate.”
Delacruz returned to official police duty on Monday, May 20, after three days of paid administrative leave. The Texas Rangers and the civil rights division of the Harris County District Attorney’s Office are investigating the shooting.
The video of the shooting can be seen below:
