Police shooting of armed man to get review

Police chief: Man looking for stolen horse refused orders to drop gun

Mayor Sylvester Turner will ask the Department of Justice to review police officers’ fatal shooting of an armed man on the south side.

Mayor Sylvester Turner will ask the Department of Justice to review Houston police officers’ fatal shooting of an armed man on the south side early Saturday morning.

Friends said Alva Braziel, 38, was searching for a stolen horse when a police patrol found him standing in the middle of Cullen Boulevard shortly after 12:30 a.m. Authorities said Braziel was shot after refusing commands to drop his weapon, pointing a handgun first into the air, and then at the two officers present.

In a Monday statement, Turner said public surveillance footage suggests Braziel fired two shots into the air before police appeared, and then, when the officers arrived, stepped toward them with his right arm extended. In an unreleased video, the mayor added, a bystander acknowledges Braziel had a gun and that it was taken from Braziel’s right hand by one of the officers.

“Because tensions are running high, I strongly recommend that all available video be released as soon as possible,” Turner said. “To further address community concerns, I will ask the U.S. Department of Justice to review the shooting. While I desire and will require a full investigation, I am confident that once complete, the public will conclude we have been transparent.”

Interim Police Chief Martha Montalvo said there are indications Braziel was under the influence of narcotics at the time he was shot.

Braziel’s death follows a turbulent week spurred by the police shootings of black men in Louisiana and Minnesota, which sparked nationwide protests and apparently contributed to an ambush of law enforcement in Dallas late Thursday that left five officers dead.

On Saturday morning, #AlvaBraziel was a trending Twitter hashtag in Houston.

The mayor and other leaders confronted tensions over Braziel’s death. A Sunday event planned as a call for unity was partly disrupted by protesters, one of whom held a sign listing the names of eight black victims killed by police, including Braziel.

“I know we have a lot of work to do. There’s a lot of pain and a lot of anger,” Turner told the crowd, reminding the protesters that he, as a black man, understood. “The only way we can truly move forward is to work together.”

Again Monday, Turner urged Houstonians to “help maintain the peace throughout the city.”

Braziel was a felon and was not authorized to have a weapon.

He had received at least two citations related to firearms in Harris County, one of which was dismissed, and had spent time in a Texas prison for drug offenses.

“While I desire and will require a full investigation, I am confident that once complete, the public will conclude we have been transparent.” Mayor Sylvester Turner