This undated photo provided by the Turner family shows Pamela Turner, right, with her daughter Chelsie Rubin in Baytown, Texas. A Houston-area police officer knew his neighbor suffered from mental illness and should have offered assistance when that was apparent, but instead he fatally shot the 44-year-old woman, a lawyer for the victim's family said Thursday, May 16, 2019. A police spokesman did not immediately respond to questions Thursday, but previously has said the officer tried to arrest Turner because he knew there were outstanding warrants against her. (Courtesy of the Turner Family via AP)
Republished May 17, 2019 - 3:31 PM
Original Publication Date May 17, 2019 - 11:41 AM
BAYTOWN, Texas - State records show a Texas police officer who fatally shot a woman who authorities say shocked him with his Taser had completed dozens of hours of crisis intervention training before the deadly arrest attempt.
Baytown Officer Juan Delacruz completed a 16-hour crisis intervention course in 2013 and several similar trainings during his more than 13 years in law enforcement.
Police say Delacruz shot and killed Pamela Turner Monday after she used his Taser against him during a struggle. Turner's family says she had paranoid schizophrenia, and that Delacruz was her neighbour and aware of her mental illness.
Texas Commission on Law Enforcement records show Delacruz updated his Taser training in 2018.
Before joining the Baytown police in 2008, Delacruz spent nearly three years as a jailor for the Harris County Sheriff's office.
News from © The Associated Press, 2019