Jalen Randle shooting: Reaction continues following grand jury decision to take 'no action'
HOUSTON - The family of Jalen Randle can't understand why the grand jury didn't indict him. However, the police union is confused about why the officer wasn't let off the hook altogether; neither side is happy with Wednesday's outcome.
"That puts pressure on the officer, his family, and everyone else for doing their job," said Douglas Griffith, president of the Houston police officers union.
Jalen Randle's mother, Tiffany Rachal, responded, "There's no way that they could justify that this is right."
On April 27, 2022, HPD officer Shane Privette opened fire on 29-year-old Jalen Randle just seconds after he exited his patrol car, killing him. Narcotics officers were there looking for Randle for several open felony warrants.
Jalen Randle shooting: Grand jury chose 'no action', what does that mean?
A grand jury chose no action on Wednesday in the case of Jalen Randle. The 29-year-old was shot and killed by a Houston police officer in April 2022. A legal analyst gives insight into what this means going forward in the case.
According to Randle’s family and their attorney, Randle appeared to be running away at the time he was shot. They say an autopsy report revealed he was shot in the back of the neck. However, the official autopsy reveals he was shot ‘front to back’.
In June, Houston Police Chief Troy Finner released a statement saying, "Mr. Crump and his team have publicly stated and used a diagram to indicate the gunshot wound was to the back of Mr. Randle’s neck. Mr. Crump should correct the false information and explain that the diagram is not part of Mr. Randle’s official autopsy. While this is only one component of a comprehensive investigation, it is necessary to correct this misinformation."
A weapon was found inside Randle’s bag. But that bag was sealed, and no evidence shows that he reached for that weapon.
"He had a split second to make a decision, and he made the decision to fire. And after the case is over, you see that he's a convicted felon; he's running from the police again. He had a weapon in the bag that he reached back in the car, he had every opportunity to run away," Griffith said.
However, Randle's mother says his criminal past doesn't justify what happened to her son.
"If you think that's justifiable, I think you're a part of the problem. No matter what they say, it still did not have to come to Officer Shane Privette shooting him in the back of the neck," said Rachal.
On Wednesday, one year after Randle was shot and killed, the Harris County District Attorney's Office announced a grand jury took "no action" on potential charges against Privette.
"A no action, far better for the officer than an indictment," said Charles Adams, an attorney and legal analyst.
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A grand jury is composed of 12 randomly selected county residents. They hear the evidence from the prosecution only and if nine or more grand jurors agree that probable cause exists, they will issue an indictment. That means the officer goes to trial, or a "no bill", meaning he won't be tried. So how did this grand jury end up taking no action?
"No action means to me that there was a conflict in that grand jury room, and they couldn't come to a consensus," said Adams.
Adams says he believes when the case is re-presented to a new grand jury, there's a strong chance we will see an indictment based on the body cam footage.
"As a former police officer, I can't watch that video and justify shooting someone running away in the back of the neck. I think everyone trying to justify this is being absolutely dishonest," Adams said.
The district attorney's office sent a statement saying they will re-present the case to a new grand jury as soon as possible.