Good. Super annoying that we have to do this, but given that we do it’s good that we’re doing it.
Harris County commissioners voted unanimously Thursday to dedicate $2.5 million over the next three years to support a local investigation into the killing of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo by federal immigration officers in Magnolia Park last month.
The rare decision to allocate funds to a single investigation is arguably the most concrete step local officials have taken in response to the July 7 shooting, which sparked weeks of protests, demands for independent probes of the incident and criticism of federal authorities’ lack of cooperation with local investigators, who warned that any criminal case could become a lengthy legal battle.
Commissioner Rodney Ellis, who first floated the idea in the weeks after the killing, said the money will fund labor, overtime, a private attorney and software upgrades to aid District Attorney Sean Teare’s work. Teare said the money will be used solely to support the investigation, and will be returned should investigators decide they are unable to move forward with the case.
It’s unusual for the county to set aside funding exclusively for a single investigation, but Teare said federal officials had forced the county to take an unprecedented step.
“This is a unique case,” Teare said. “This is one that, if we believe the charges are appropriate and file charges, we fully anticipate having to fight against the federal government.”
Teare previously said the investigation was “moving rapidly,” despite the lack of cooperation from federal authorities.
“Ideally it won’t be three years, but this is different than if we are investigating and prosecuting a state law enforcement officer,” he said.
Teare said an investigation into a federal officer could include disputes about jurisdiction and a request by President Donald Trump’s administration to transfer the case to federal court, which could prolong the case.
Teare declined to provide specifics about the investigation.
“The most important thing for me is the integrity of this investigation and, if appropriate, a future prosecution,” he said.
See here for previous blogging. The Trib adds some details.
“We don’t know when this litigation or investigation is going to end,” District Attorney Sean Teare said. “We are not going into this with preconceived notions of whether or not a charge is going to be filed. But this community and this country deserve a full, transparent investigation wherever the evidence takes us.”
Teare was joined at a Thursday press conference by County Judge Lina Hidalgo and County Commissioners Rodney Ellis and Lesley Briones. The commissioners’ court unanimously approved the funds later in the day.
The money will go into a designated fund for the investigation and will be used to address needs such as hiring an additional prosecutor and investigator, paying for overtime and technology upgrades.
Teare said the case is moving quickly, thanks in part to evidence and tips from Houstonians. Still, some key questions can’t be answered unless federal agencies share their evidence, Teare said, adding that he’s willing to file a lawsuit if necessary to compel them to do so.
“We will follow every avenue necessary to get a complete picture of what happened. If that’s going into federal court in Washington, D.C and suing people, then that is what we are going to do,” Teare said.
[…]
Other than patchy videos from local businesses along the streets where Salgado Araujo died, there’s no footage from the ICE agents’ point of view because they were not wearing body cameras.
“I think it’s very difficult for a lot of people to have the confidence in our federal justice department that they once had,” Ellis said.
A city METRO bus with a video camera onboard passed the scene around the time of the shooting. Teare said the office is aware of the video, but his office isn’t releasing any information about what it shows because he doesn’t want to taint a potential jury pool.
I hate everything about the fact that we’re in this position. There’s nothing about this that doesn’t suck. But here we are, and this is the best we can do, and do it we must. I have faith in the people working to bring some measure of justice for Lorenzo Salgado Araujo. I hope they can overcome all the obstacles in their way. Houston Public Media has more.
“Harris County commissioners voted unanimously Thursday to dedicate $2.5 million over the next three years to support a local investigation…..”
Good to see some bipartisan agreement that this was wrong and should not be covered up by the corrupt DoJ.