Family of Baytown woman killed by police officer feels hopeful after Derek Chauvin guilty verdict
Baytown - During his speech after Derek Chauvin’s guilty verdict, attorney Ben Crump says he’s shifting his attention to the shooting death of Pamela Turner. Turner was shot and killed by Baytown Police Officer, Juan Delacruz, on May 13, 2019.
"The victory was a sense of hope," said Chelsie Rubin, Turner’s daughter.
Rubin says she watched with her aunt, Antoinette Dorsey James, as Chauvin was found guilty in George Floyd’s murder. Then, they heard her name, Pamela Turner.
"When Mr. Crump mentioned her name, it just brought back all the emotions," said Dorsey James. "I actually walked out the room and broke down."
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Turner was killed by Delacruz while she was walking around her apartment complex.
Like Floyd’s death, a bystander caught the horrific moments on video. Jermaine Simmons, a neighbor, still remembers what he saw.
"I seen it on Facebook and it was probably about 2 o'clock in the morning and I'm like man, I know this lady," he said. "I couldn't believe that happened to her and then they started speaking about mental illness. I didn't know anything about her but I know that she was a good lady, though."
Baytown Police say Turner took the officer's Taser and turned it on him. Turner’s family says she was unarmed and struggled with paranoid schizophrenia.
Rubin and her brother filed a lawsuit in federal court against Delacruz earlier this month.
"I would just like people to know that Pam is a beautiful person and her death will not go in vain, and neither will the other deaths go in the vain," added Dorsey James.
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They hope Chauvin's conviction will mean justice for their family and many others who have lost a loved one at the hands of a police officer.
"I want you to see that this is something, this was an unjustified killing, and just because Juan Delacruz is a police officer doesn't give him the right to take away her life," Rubin said. "These are senseless killings and they deserve to be held accountable and punished for their crimes."
Delacruz's attorney, Greg Cagle, responded with FOX 26's request for a statement with the following: "If you take an officer's Taser away from them and use it against them, you're going to get shot 100 percent of the time."
The Baytown Police Department reports Delacruz is still working on paid, non-enforcement administrative duty, but says they do not comment on pending litigation.
Texas DPS reports this case has been submitted to the Harris County District Attorney’s Office for review.