HOUSTON – A fugitive wanted on multiple felony warrants was fatally shot by an officer in east Houston Wednesday afternoon, Houston police said.
At about 10 a.m. members of an HPD tactical team began searching for 29-year-old Jalen Javon Randle, who was wanted for three felony warrants. At about 2 p.m. they saw Randle get into the front passenger seat of a vehicle, which then left the area.
The officers attempted a traffic stop on the vehicle but the driver refused to pull over and a short chase started. That chase ended several blocks away in the 8700 block of Josie Street after officers performed a PIT maneuver.
As officers approached Randle’s vehicle and he exited the vehicle holding a bag in his hand. As the suspect approached the officer, the officer fired, hitting him once.
In the bag Randle had been holding, police said they found a semi-automatic pistol.
Randle was transported to a hospital where he was pronounced dead, police said.
The driver, who was later identified only as a 32-year-old man, was arrested and charged with fleeing and attempting to elude a police officer.
No officers were injured in the incident.
An investigation is ongoing.
Per HPD protocols, the officer who fatally shot the wanted fugitive will remain on administrative duties during the investigation. Body-worn footage of the shooting will be released within a month, police said.
On Friday, Randle’s family members and advocates held a press conference calling the shooting egregious and calling for the termination of the officers. They also reflected on Randle’s life.
”He had a big heart. All he cared about was his daughter and just living life,” said Kerrick Floyd, Randle’s brother.
”When you have a warrant, you’re to be arrested taken to jail, and taken before a judge. The police should not be the arresting agency, the judge, the jury, and the executioner,” said community advocate Quanell X.
”You run around here killing our people. Accountability breeds responsibility,” said Dr. Candace Matthews with the Rainbow Push Coalition.
Randle’s loved ones say they want police footage from the shooting released immediately.