HOUSTON – Attorneys representing a man who was arrested in Galveston and led with a rope by two officers on horseback held a news conference Monday afternoon.
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump and criminal defense attorney Melissa Morris spoke to the media about the Aug. 3 arrest of Donald Neely.
Neely’s arrest made national headlines after a photo showing two mounted police officers leading a handcuffed Neely down the street by a rope.
WATCH: Attorneys discuss arrest of man led by rope in Galveston
Galveston Police Chief Vernon Hale said his officers were following procedure and had no malicious intent. He admitted that the optics of the photo were troubling, and the agency needs to learn from this situation.
On Friday, city leaders ordered a review of Neely’s arrest. The Texas Rangers – the investigative agency of the Texas Department of Public Safety – and the Galveston County Sheriff’s Office will conduct a two-pronged inquiry into the circumstances of the arrest and the policies of the Galveston Police Department.
Family demands justice
"No man, woman, purple, brown should be embarrassed the way my brother was," Donald's brother, Andy Neely, said.
The Neely family is demanding for police to hand over body camera video of the officers in question.
"If you want (us) to believe what you are saying about these police officers ... that they are of good character ... then release the video," Crump said.
What the city is saying
In response to the outcry by the family, the city of Galveston released this statement:
"We anticipate the body camera footage will be released after the investigations are concluded. The Texas occupations code prohibits the release of the videos before that time."