ALTO, TX (KTRE) -
In the wake of an
officer-involved shooting that left a man suspected of robbing a convenience
store dead in January, the city of Alto has started an internal investigation
to determine whether or not the officer said a racial slur before he shot and
killed James Eric Griffin, an African American.
Jeremy Jackson, the
chief of the Alto Police Department, and the city attorney will be
investigating the allegations. Jackson said they hope to conclude their
in-house investigation by the end of March.
"We're in the very
preliminary stages of the investigation right now," Jackson said.
The officer, Brandon
Michael Smith, has been placed on administrative leave until the end of March,
and Jackson said once they finish their investigation, they will decide on an
appropriate course of action in regard to any disciplinary action against
Smith.
Jackson also said that
Texas Ranger Sgt. W.R. "Rudy" Flores told him that his investigation into the
fatal shooting is almost complete. Once the investigation is complete, Flores
will turn his findings over to Cherokee County District Attorney Rachel Patton.
Jackson said the findings could be submitted to a grand jury as early as March
25.
Citing Texas Department
of Public Safety policy, Flores declined to comment on the pending investigation.
The fatal shooting
incident occurred on Jan. 23. According to DPS spokeswoman Jean Dark, Griffin,
48, of Alto, attempted to rob the Pick N Go convenience store located at 100 S.
Smith confronted Griffin on Highway 69, where an exchange took place.
Marcus Street. A clerk
at the convenience store said Griffin started to leave the store with a pack of
cigarettes that he hadn't purchased. When the clerk said, "Hey, man, what about
the money," Griffin allegedly turned around, lifted up his shirt, and showed
the clerk a long machete.
One witness at the
scene, Emmanuel Milton, told the East Texas News he saw Smith shoot Griffin
once and then several more times after he fell.
"I took off and ran up
the street to let the police know that [Griffin] was off his meds, and that he
was an access patient," Milton said.
Immediately after the
shooting, it was a tense situation in Alto. In addition to the Alto Police
Department, deputies from the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office, and DPS
troopers were on the scene as well as hundreds of people gathered at the scene,
some of them yelling angrily at authorities.
At an Alto City Council
meeting in February, Flores told city officials that he collected background information,
spoke to witnesses, and reviewed the scene of the fatal shooting incident. He said
before he can conclude the investigation, he has to wait for the final autopsy and
toxicology reports to be released.
During the meeting,
Jackson responded to Alto residents' allegations that they had seen Smith in
uniform and riding along with a sergeant with the police department by saying
that the officer was brought back into the office to help with administrative
duties.
Jackson said he didn't
realize Smith coming back to work would cause such a disturbance. "Since then, he has been placed back on
administrative leave, and he will not be back even in the office, he said.
Griffith's niece,
Angela Jefferson, was one of several people who spoke at the city council
meeting. She told city officials that she thought the shooting was excessive.
"It's awful when you
see your family member lying there on the ground," Jefferson said. "I was there
before the first responders arrived."
"From the Texas Ranger's
investigation, I hope they'll see it for what it was," Herman Martin said at
the meeting. "It was a murder. That's what I hope they find in their
investigation."
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