Second shooting renews calls for special prosecutor Group wants answers in teens' deaths By PEGGY O'HARE Copyright 2003 Houston Chronicle The shooting death of a second Hispanic teen at the hands of Houston police, just three weeks after a similar incident, is prompting the League of United Latin American Citizens' local district to renew calls for an independent prosecutor in such cases. LULAC has launched inquiries into the deaths of Eli Eloy Escobar Jr. -- the 14-year-old boy shot in the head Friday when a Houston police officer's gun fired during a struggle -- and Jose Vargas Jr., the 15-year-old boy killed Oct. 31 when another police officer's gun accidentally fired as the officer tried to stop the teen's car. Police have revealed nothing about how or why Officer Arthur J. Carbonneau's gun fired Friday outside a northwest Houston apartment as he and another officer tried to detain Escobar. Carbonneau's attorney, Aaron Suder of the Houston Police Officers Union legal division, did not return telephone calls Sunday. Union president Hans Marticiuc said he was told by Suder that Escobar wouldn't take his hands out of his pockets and ignored officers' directions during the struggle. Furthermore, the officers, who went to the apartment looking for an assault suspect, had no chance to search Escobar and his two teenage friends for weapons before the struggle ensued, Marticiuc said. "The officer had his gun out for some reason," Marticiuc said. "By policy, we take our gun out if we anticipate a threat or feel threatened for some reason." Houston homicide investigators would not comment Sunday. However, District Attorney Chuck Rosenthal said the case deserves close scrutiny and requires an experienced prosecutor because of its complexity. Escobar's parents were too distraught to talk Sunday, so it was unknown if they have hired an attorney. In a statement released over the weekend, LULAC District VIII renewed its support for legislation proposed earlier this year by state Rep. Richard "Rick" Noriega, D-Houston, calling for a special prosecutor from outside Harris County to investigate local police abuse cases. "Across Texas, local prosecutors have been accused of a conflict of interest, or the appearance of a conflict, for failing to convince grand juries to aggressively prosecute peace officers (with whom they regularly work) that are accused themselves of committing crimes," LULAC's statement said. The two recent police shootings of two Latino teens should mobilize the community to make changes in the criminal justice system, said LULAC spokesman Johnny Mata. "I think this is the tip of the iceberg," Mata said Sunday. "I think if this doesn't call our community to action, that will be a worse tragedy." Rosenthal argued that there is no need for a special prosecutor "because we do our job, and we do it very well." Strong cases against law enforcement that went to trial have revealed some jurors are reluctant to indict or convict officers, Rosenthal said. "That doesn't keep us from indicting them or trying them, but that's a fact of life," he said Sunday. Marticiuc argued that LULAC has an "agenda" to "politicize" the process. "LULAC's position is there's always a conspiracy and cover-up, and with so many agencies involved, it's impossible for that to happen," Marticiuc said.
If they are a minority the HPD method of operation is clear WHEN IN DOUBT . . .SHOOT TO KILL Doubt is whatever they say it is Rocket River
This event is just wrong. I hope an independent counsel is used to investigate it thoroughly. However, I think cops have the worst, most difficult, most underpaid and underappreciated jobs possible. I would not want to be in their shoes, ever.
IMO it simply comes down to, was the teen resisting arrest? Keep in mind the police were looking for an assault suspect at the time. If yes, then I cannot hold the officer responsible. It is unfortunate and tragic the gun discharged and killed the teen. The officer was following HPD policy which allows him to draw his weapon when he feels he is in danger. Was he in danger? He thought he was and that is all it takes. When you put your life on the line then you can make judgments on what he should have done. It is a coincidence that two Hispanic teens were shot and killed by HPD in less than 3 weeks. The other shooting happened outside Tinseltown on Beltway 8. The officer asked the teen driver to stop his suspicious vehicle which made several rounds in the parking lot and clearly was not looking for a parking spot. He did not obey and kept driving. Again I cannot hold the officer responsible.
The officer could have done the jumping monkey on that kid and it would have knocked him out cold...No guns necessary... "Finish Him!!"
This should be investigated fully but I hate that the minority groups are trying to make it a "Hispanic issue."
A change in policy may be needed. I find it funny when something like this happens the kid becomes an innocent bible studying honor student active in the community. Please. He shouldn't have been resisting arrest. Perhaps I'm naive but I believe the majority of officers are good people. You have to be some kind of monster to want to hurt a kid. I'll give the cop the benefit of the doubt.
How is it a "hispanic" issue? It seems no all encompassing group took to initiative, so LULAC stepped in. Unless LULAC is saying that these kids were killed because they were hispanic, nobody is making it a "hispanic issue."
Dude, chill out, the kid was slow, he was 14 in the fifth grade, he probably didn't understand what was going on, at least that's what was reported last night on the news. I find it funny that you wrote something that was written no where in the article.
It seems like the HPD needs to investigate the guns they use as sidearms. Seems like they might be going off a little too easily.
I think that is what they will believe. They will use this to say that the Hispanic community has a long way to go in America, or something along those lines.
I obviously was exaggerating. It doesn't have to be in the article. People are going to make this kid an angel. I saw his father claim on the news his son was not a troublemaker. Good kids don't run from the police and kick an officer in the groin. The officer had no way of knowing the teen was stupid or that he was not carrying a weapon.
Folks, things are getting scarey out there. The thin blue line is tense, and they should be. They are facing an unprecefented outbreak of violence , bettered armed and more desperate . Their bretheren around the globe have become soft targets. Best teach your children to duck and cover.
I don't know. As many stories that I've heard of dirty police officers around here, I might be worried that if I cooperated, I'd end up jailed for intent to sell pool chalk. I would be especially concerned if I were a minority. There are areas where the police aren't the good guys, and while the vast majority of police officers are honest, hardworking cops, those that aren't honest do poison the well a good bit. For the record, for all we know, the kick in the groin (if it ever happened at all) was also accidental. If you're fighting someone to the ground, they could easily have a limb fly into a groin area. You're picturing a purposeful kick in the groin, and we don't know that that's the case. And the Chron article doesn't say that the kid ran, just that he resisted when he was being handcuffed. And the article I read didn't have the father saying his boy wasn't a troublemaker. And the question I want to ask is if the boy that was killed was the suspect that was pointed out to police. If not, why was he being detained?
I don't think it's an unprecedented outbreak of violence. We're still seeing violent crime down in many, many areas of the country. And certainly not to the heights we saw in some previous years. And I don't think you can keep from laying some of the blame on the police themselves for the tension they face. There have been so many officers who abused their power that the level of distrust is extremely high in many communities. And when those same officers don't get prosecuted (or those that are prosecuted don't get convicted), the tensions get even higher. Until the police are willing to go after their own when their own break the law, a lot of the tension is going to continue to grow and grow.
