Unarmed Black Man Killed by Police: No Charges Filed One Year Later

Demetria Brooks-Glaze embarked on a journey across Texas in the past year to give her brother, Roderick Brooks, a proper burial.

After much consideration, she chose to lay him to rest in their hometown of Longview, where their mother is also buried. Whenever she’s in the area, she makes sure to visit his gravesite.

“I can’t return home without paying a visit,” expressed Brooks-Glaze to HuffPost. “It still feels like we just said our goodbyes.”

This weekend marks one year since Roderick Brooks, an unarmed 47-year-old Black man, was fatally shot by a deputy in Harris County. The incident occurred after he allegedly shoplifted detergent from a Dollar General store in Houston and pushed a store worker aside as he made his exit. Despite the passage of time, the Harris County District Attorney’s Office is yet to present the case to a grand jury.

“Regardless of the trial preparations and the pursuit of the right grand jury, it shouldn’t have taken this long for the case to proceed,” stated Sadiyah Evangelista Karriem, an attorney representing Brooks’ family. “While it’s important to handle it correctly, the delay is unacceptable.”

No comment was received from District Attorney Kim Ogg upon request.

On July 8, 2022, Sgt. Garrett Hardin from the Harris County Sheriff’s Office responded to 911 calls reporting shoplifting and assault incidents at the Dollar General.

“A customer ran out of the store and struck me while leaving,” stated a female employee during one of the recorded emergency calls, which have been released by the police. “I just want him to get arrested because he’s currently running toward the back of the building.”

The employee mentioned that she didn’t believe Brooks was under the influence of substances or carrying a weapon. She also confirmed that she didn’t require medical attention.

Bodycam footage captured Hardin pursuing Brooks near a gas station, deploying a stun gun to incapacitate him, and eventually shooting him at the point where his head and neck meet.

“I’m utterly disgusted by how the city of Houston and Harris County have handled this situation,” Brooks-Glaze expressed. “He was treated like a punching bag. We couldn’t even recognize Roderick when we saw him at the funeral home. It shattered me.”

Two months after the incident, Brooks’ family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Sgt. Hardin and the sheriff’s office, which is still ongoing. The family claims that if Hardin had faced appropriate disciplinary actions for critically injuring another individual the week before the shooting, Brooks’ death could have been prevented.

HuffPost obtained personnel files revealing that Hardin had been suspended without pay on eight separate occasions from 2004 until last July. His infractions included causing a car accident, providing false statements to supervisors, and making inappropriate comments to officers under his command.

At the time of the shooting, Hardin, who remained under disciplinary probation, was placed on paid administrative leave. Attorneys representing Brooks’ family disclosed that the Harris County District Attorney’s Office stated in civil court that Hardin has resumed active duty as a deputy.

No response was received from the Harris County Sheriff’s Office and District Attorney’s Office regarding the matter.

“It clearly shows that the administration of justice varies depending on the identity of the suspect. Civilian suspects can expect a much swifter process, unlike others,” stated Justin Moore, another attorney representing the Brooks family. “We must hold everyone to the same standard, especially within our criminal justice system.”

Karriem, Brooks-Glaze, and other supporters are organizing a rally in Houston this Saturday, aiming to exert pressure on Ogg to provide clarity about the possibility of filing criminal charges.

“They showed no respect to my brother,” Brooks-Glaze lamented. “But regardless of everything he went through, he will always be our baby brother.”