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Six officers were charged last year, including Gerald Goines, accused of lying to obtain a warrant, and Steven Bryant, accused of falsifying government records.
Six more officers were charged on Monday, according to a statement from Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg. These officers face a variety of charges, including murder, falsifying government records, and participating in organized criminal activity.
The raid took place on January 28, 2019, when a tactical team raided the home of Rhogena Nicholas and Dennis Tuttle, both of whom were killed along with their dog. Several Houston officers on the team were injured in the raid, including Goines.
“The consequences of the corruption are that two innocent people and their dog were shot dead at their homes by the police; four policemen were shot, one paralyzed, and now all will face jurors who will determine their fate,” the statement read. Ogg.
The Civil Rights Division of the Harris County District Attorney’s Office investigated the raid and determined that Goines lied to obtain a “smooth” raid warrant from a city judge and misrepresented the drug activity of the victims , threat level and other factors. He claimed that a criminal informant bought heroin from a man at the previous day’s address and that the man who sold the drugs was known to have a gun.
Last year, prosecutors said Bryant twisted the facts surrounding the scene and the purchase of the drugs. Bryant gave a supplement to the original report that contained lies, the prosecutor said.
The investigation also revealed that the officers were “involved in a long-term plan to steal overtime from the city,” the Ogg statement said.
Former Houston police officer Felipe Gallegos has been charged with Tuttle’s death, court documents show. His lawyer, Rusty Hardin, said on Tuesday that Gallegos only started shooting during the raid when two other officers had already been shot.
“A Harris County grand jury, at the request of the district attorney’s office, indicted a hero,” Hardin said. “It appears that they (Tuttle and Nicholas) were innocent of the drug-related activity in this scene as alleged. But once they started shooting, or once Mr. Tuttle started shooting, he didn’t ‘was not innocent. And there is no doubt, and no one will argue with him. Mr. Tuttle started shooting at the officers. “
“I have said on several occasions that the other officers involved in the incident, including the officer charged today, had no involvement in obtaining the warrant and responded appropriately to the deadly threat that was asked of them while on duty, “Acevedo said, adding that all serving officers who have been charged have been relieved of their duties.
CNN’s Konstantin Toropin contributed to this report.
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