Houston Zoo parking lot shooting: Mom shot in the head by security guard demanding charges be filed
HOUSTON - The woman who was shot in the head in the Houston Zoo parking lot says she's heartbroken that no one has been charged.
The mother of four was shot three months ago by a security guard during Spring Break in a packed zoo parking lot with her four kids in the car, and she says she wants justice.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Mother shot by Houston Zoo security on Friday shares her side of the story
According to Houston police, a security guard opened fire into the car with the mother and children inside, because she allegedly tried to run him over, a claim Diamond Hunter denies.
Hunter says this all happened as she and another driver tried parking in the same spot.
"He gets out, because he was driving and tells his wife to get into the driver's seat, and he gets up and stands in front of my car...all my kids are getting anxious. They're in the backseat. One of them crawls across the seat and comes out of the car, and he backhands my child," says Hunter.
"That man put his hands on her baby, her 2-year-old, and at that point she lost her temper. I think, as most mothers would," adds Hunters lawyer, Jarrett Ellzey.
"That's when security came over, and I'm thinking security was going to come and defuse the situation, and I'm like, yeah. I was kind of excited because usually stuff doesn't work out for me," Hunter says.
"When Diamond went to move her car, she let one of the security guards know. On video, you can hear one of the security guards respond 'OK'. So, it was clear what she was doing...and the two security guards shot into the car. (Both security guards opened fire into the car?) That's my understanding, yes," Ellzey adds.
"I'm the victim, but apparently the speculation is I'm the one who hit him with the car. I hate that the news has tarnished my character. (So, you're saying if your car hit him, it was after you were already shot and didn't have control of your body?) I'm not even going to say that, because he didn't get hit. (You don't think he got hit at all?) No," says Hunter.
"This is one of the most appalling cases I've ever handled. One, there was no justifiable use of deadly force, none whatsoever. Even if Diamond had been fleeing the scene as a suspect, no deadly force was justified. Second, you have four kids in the vehicle with her," Ellzey says.
"She could have been in a casket. We could have been burying their mother, and for these babies to go through that, nobody deserves that," says Hunter's husband, Oscar Chappel.
"I was shot in the middle of my forehead and then right here on the side of my face," Hunter explains as she points to the scars. "I have PTSD, constant ringing in my ears, and headaches. But I wouldn't even say headaches, more like migraines. There's a constant beating, like a pulse in my head."
"She had one bullet ricochet off her forehead, but the force of that bullet caused a traumatic brain injury. She has bullet fragments in her face and chest. So, the injuries are severe," Ellzey explains.
"It's devastating and angers me. I'm a mother of five. To shoot into a vehicle with all those children in it. It's horrible," says Community Activist Natural Nwonknu.
"If it was the other way around, you wouldn't be interviewing me. I'd be in jail," Hunter adds.
"I think that had Diamond looked different, had she been driving a Range Rover or a luxury vehicle at that time, I don't think this would have happened," says Ellzey.
Hunter wants the two security guards criminally charged.
"Yes, that was attempted murder. I don't even know how I'm still here. Everywhere I go, I feel like I'm about to get shot or somebody is about to kill me. I don't want to deal with PTSD. This stuff is not fun. My kids and me, we have nightmares," Hunter says.
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Hunter has filed a lawsuit against the Houston Zoo, T-Mar Protective Services (the security company), and the two security guards accused of shooting into the car.
The Harris County District Attorney's Office says the case was referred to them for charges, but the DA's office sent it back to the Houston Police Department asking for further investigation.
HPD says the shooting is still under investigation and will likely be referred to a grand jury.