Former Houston police officer accused of murder after raid

Juan A. Lozano
Associated press

HOUSTON – A former Houston police officer was charged with murder in connection with the deadly raid in January on a house that killed a couple who died there and injured five policemen, prosecutors said Friday.

Former officer Gerald Goines, who was killed during the shooting that ensued during the raid on January 28, is charged with murder crime after the police accused him of lying in a search warrant on the grounds that a trusted informant would buy heroin at home. Goines later acknowledged that there was no informant and that he had bought the drugs himself, authorities said.

Another former officer, Steven Bryant, was charged with tampering with a government registry for allegedly providing false information in a raid-following report that corroborated Goines' story about a confidential informant.

"We acknowledge that the community has been raped and I want to assure my compatriots in Houston and the other residents of Harris County that we are discovering the truth," said Harris County Attorney Kim Ogg when of a press conference. "Every day, we discover more and more and with every fact, we work to do justice."

Goines' lawyer Nicole DeBorde did not immediately respond to a phone call or an e-mail asking for comments. But she already said that Goines had done nothing wrong.

Andy Drumheller, Bryant's lawyer, said in an email that he had not yet seen the charge, but that he was "worried that a person who did not participate in drafting the affidavit of the search warrant, never fired with his weapon and did not come home … he was warned a few hours to the advance that he had been charged with public prison crime on a Friday afternoon and had to surrender himself. "

The two former officers surrendered to the authorities on Friday and appeared at a bail hearing. Obligations totaling $ 300,000 were given to Goines and $ 50,000 to Bryant. Drumheller said Bryant was considering taking a bond.

If convicted, Goines risks life imprisonment. Bryant risk up to two years in a state prison.

At a separate press conference, Art Acevedo, head of the Houston police, said the charges against the two ex-officers resulted from his agency's investigation and showed how a police service could ask tough questions about his actions.

"We are a department that will energetically seek to enforce the law, including holding our officers accountable, as we have done here," said Acevedo.

Rhogena Nicholas, 58, and Dennis Tuttle, 59, 59, were killed.

The family and friends of Tuttle and Nicholas have consistently rejected allegations that the couple has been selling drugs. Police found small amounts of marijuana and cocaine in the house, but no heroin.

Ogg apologized to the couple's families.

"I want to tell them how sorry we are, as a city and county, for the loss of life of our loved ones and our work, and they are dedicated to ensuring justice for their loved ones. loved ones, "said Ogg.

In a statement, Michael Doyle and Charles Bourque, lawyers for the Nicholas family, described the charges against Goines and Bryant as significant developments, but only as "the beginning of the pursuit of justice" in the couple's death.

Initially, Houston police claimed that after entering the house, the police tried to confiscate a gun from a police officer and were shot by police officers who had seen what was happening. But an independent study of Nicholas' family earlier this year cast doubt on this representation.

After the shooting, prosecutors began examining more than 2,000 cases related to Goines and Bryant. In June, prosecutors said their investigation became an investigation into 14,000 cases handled by the narcotics division of the Houston Police Department.

Both officers were relieved of duty after the shooting and then retired.

Ogg said the prosecutors had decided to file a complaint instead of waiting to present the case to a grand jury, fearing that both officers would flee the area and fearing for the safety of witnesses.

The case still has to be presented to a grand jury in the coming weeks and the court could bring additional charges against both officers or against others, Ogg said.

"The purpose of the broader investigation is … to determine whether it was an isolated act of untrustworthy officers or whether it was was part of a larger and pre-existing problem in this team, "Ogg said.

Acevedo said that neither the investigation of his agency nor an ongoing investigation by the federal authorities showed that the actions of the two former officers were part of a systemic problem within the department of police.

Acevedo said that he thought the officers who entered the house were also victims because they were misled by the actions of two officers who "dishonored the badge".