Police chief addresses Kleinert case questions,
Austin police Chief Art Acevedo faced questions Thursday as part of a wrongful death lawsuit in the 2013 death of Larry Jackson Jr., who was fatally shot by former detective Charles Kleinert.
The deposition marks the first time Acevedo addresses questions in the case, such as whether he thinks Kleinert broke policy during the incident or whether the chief planned to fire Kleinert before the officer retired three months after the shooting.
Kleinert shot Jackson during a robbery investigation July 26, 2013, at a Central Austin bank. Police say Jackson went to the bank to withdraw money from another customer’s account.
Kleinert chased Jackson, and once the detective caught up to him, the two struggled. Kleinert has said that’s when his gun went off.
“The biggest thing we need to know, and the community needs to know, is whether the chief of police believes this was a criminal act and what he did was excessive force,” said attorney Adam Loewy, who represents Jackson’s mother, Billie Mercer.
Acevedo declined to address questions about the proceeding.
“It would be inappropriate for me to discuss ongoing litigation,” he said.
The deposition, which is not open to the public, comes as city officials and Jackson’s mother work to resolve a pending lawsuit, which claims Kleinert used excessive force.
The city already has settled one claim related to Jackson’s death. It paid $1.25 million to his three children last year.