A gospel singer was gunned down by a police officer who tried to arrest him for DUI although he stated he drank one mimosa during a traffic stop on Friday.
According to the Daily Mail, Adrian Medearis,48, was shot and killed after the officer suspected him of drunk driving during a routine traffic stop. A report by the officer said he tried to arrest Medearis but he allegedly resisted and grabbed the officer’s taser. The officer fired his gun four times but two shots instantly struck and killed Medearis. Bodycam footage captured the altercation but it was knocked off before the shooting. Surrounding cameras captured the entire incident but were not released to the public.
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During a press conference Monday afternoon, Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo said Medearis’ family is asking the department to release the tape but he will not release the footage until he shows it to them personally.
‘What’s sad about this is that by all accounts what occurred is conduct that is not consistent with who Mr. Medearis is,’
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Based on the report, the altercation took about two minutes and the officer had Medearis pinned to the ground. Afterward, Medearis tossed the officer over while he tried to call for backup and they continued to have a scuffle.
Medearis’ brother Audrick said in a statement Monday that the police department did not speak with the family before the press conference. Additionally, the family has not been informed of where police stored Adrian’s BMW and his possessions.
‘I am not only his brother, but am also a first responder and Cy Fair firefighter. I am very easily accessible to HPD. The Harris County Chief Medical Examiner is aware that I am the next of kin as I contacted the office last Friday requesting to view my brother’s remains.’
A close family friend Dav Lewis said the video needs to be released so family and everyone who knew Medearis can know what happened Friday night:
‘Everybody – and especially his family – deserve to know what happened that night, they need to see what happened to their loved one,’ he said. ‘We must hold the police accountable and we’re not going to just sit back and take the police word on this.’