Another Likely Unnecessary Death at the Hands of Police in Fort Worth

Credit: Family picture

Yesterday, Brian Doherty alerted readers to a Fort Worth man who died earlier in May after being Tasered in handcuffs by police during a home search for cocaine.

Today, KHOU reports on another police-induced fatality in Fort Worth. This time, a 72-year-old man was shot and killed by officers who were responding to a burglar alarm across the street from his home. Based on the description by the widow, the police were on their property for unexplained reasons, and Jerry Waller went down to his garage with a .38-caliber handgun because the noise made him worried somebody might be breaking into a car in their driveway.

What happened next is unclear, or rather, it's "under investigation," so the police will not say much:

Police spokeswoman Cpl. Tracey Knight wouldn't go into much detail about what led up to the shooting, saying only that "officers felt threatened" by Jerry Waller. He was carrying a .38-caliber handgun, but police won't say if he pointed it at officers, or even if he ever left his own garage. … Kathy Waller said her husband had been shot six times. She said from what she could tell, he never left the garage. … She said he was only carrying the gun because they weren't sure if someone was trying to break into a car in the driveway. "He is 72… why just shoot him?" she asked.

#Police #Texas