Roderick Brooks: Harris County deputy faces first-degree felony murder charge in fatal shooting

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas - A Harris County Grand Jury indicted Deputy Garrett Hardin in the shooting death of Roderick Brooks on July 8, 2022, in north Harris County.

The incident took place when Harris County Sheriff's Office deputies responded to a call at the intersection of FM 1960 and Kuykendal around 6:30 p.m.

ORIGINAL STORY: Man who 'took control' of Harris Co. deputy sergeant's taser shot, killed: HCSO

Initial reports stated that Roderick Brooks had pushed a store manager while escaping from a Dollar General store while attempting to shoplift.

Sergeant Garret Hardin, a veteran of the HCSO, was the officer who saw Brooks and attempted to stop him. The Brooks ran away, setting off a chase captured by body camera video.

In the video, Sgt. Hardin repeatedly instructs Brooks to stop, warning him that he would fire his taser.

BODY CAMERA FOOTAGE: Bodycam video of deputy-involved shooting that killed Roderick Brooks released

A scuffle between the two men broke out, and the sergeant tased Brooks during the altercation. As the confrontation escalated, a shot was fired, fatally striking Roderick Brooks in the back. The incident led to his death, with an ambulance called to the scene.

Roderick Brooks' family has called for answers and transparency since the incident, and releasing the body camera video has only heightened public scrutiny.

Photo of HSCO Deputy Sgt. Garret Hardin

His sisters tell Fox 26 they feel some relief about the grand jury's decision. 

"It's been too long," says Demetria Brooks-Blaze. "We're going to move forward. We wanted to make sure that Roderick's name rings. That no other families will have to go through this." 

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Sgt. Garrett Hardin, who has served with the department for 20 years, mainly in a patrol capacity, was placed on administrative leave as the investigation progressed. 

Hardin has now been relieved of duty by Harris County Sheriff's Office, according to a statement. An Administrative Disciplinary Committee of the sheriff's office will review the case and recommend disciplinary action if necessary.

Justin Keiter, an attorney on the deputy's legal team, calls it a "political move" by District Attorney Kim Ogg. He also says the deputy shooting was a matter of self-defense. 

"What should Hardin have done? The suspect had his taser, and was tasing him," Keiter said. "All Kim Ogg knows how to do is prosecute the police. She doesn't do a good job of it. She just cares about the headlines. 60 plus Democratic Precinct Chairs have voiced displeasure with her. She has a political primary opponent, and she waits all these months? Buckle up. We're going to trial."

According to Harris County District Attorney's Office policy, all officer-involved shootings are presented to a grand jury to determine whether probable cause exists to support criminal charges. Harris County grand juries are composed of 12 randomly selected county residents who hear all available evidence in a case, including witnesses.

Now that an indictment has been handed down by the grand jury, the charges against Sgt. Hardin will proceed through the criminal court process like any other case.

If convicted, Hardin faces a sentence ranging from 5 years to 99 years or life in prison.