HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — A Harris County deputy is facing a murder charge for a 2022 shooting. A grand jury indicted Sgt. Garret W. Hardin on Thursday, the Harris County District Attorney's Office confirmed.
The shooting happened more than a year ago on July 8, 2022, when Hardin was sent to a shoplifting call. The Harris County Sheriff's Office released the body camera video later that month.
After seeing the video, the family of the man accused of shoplifting, Roderick Vankeith Brooks, 47, called it an execution.
"We want the world to know Roderick was executed," his sister Demetria Brooks-Glaze said at the time. "We seen him get executed."
His family said Brooks was stealing shampoo before he was shot and killed.
"Shoplifting does not warrant to kill a man," Brooks-Glaze said. "Anybody can put themselves in our shoes. If it was your loved one, your sister, your brother, your daughter, your son had their face pushed in the hot concrete, and you can answer that question yourself. How would you feel?"
Brooks' family is praising the grand jury for the indictment while Hardin's attorney called it "disgusting."
Hardin is expected to turn himself in on Friday morning. He was relieved of duty in the wake of the indictment.
Brooks had 10 siblings. One of his sisters, Sandra Brooks, remembered him fondly.
"He's just a lovable young man. I miss my brother," she said.
Sandra and Demetria fought for 15 months to get the indictment they feel is right.
"The indictment today, oh, my God, thank you, Jesus. I mean, I tell you, we're going to keep going," Demetria said.
Hardin claimed that Brooks grabbed his Taser as their scuffle escalated.
"Make no mistake, Garrett Hardin feels awful he had to take a life, but he didn't have a choice," attorney Justin Keiter said.
Keiter said he looks forward to proving Hardin was justified in court.
"Buckle up. We're ready for trial," he said.
He also said the district attorney and others waited for the right grand jury to clinch the indictment.
"What happened today is disgusting, disingenuous, egregious, and most of all, political," Keiter said.
Brooks' sisters called it the latest step in their fight to hold his killer accountable.
"We knew that we had to look out for our baby brother," Demetria said.
They admitted he wasn't perfect, but said he didn't deserve to die. The Brooks family is also filing a civil lawsuit, which will be held while the criminal case moves forward.
HCSO released this statement:
"The Harris County Sheriff's Office was notified Thursday that a grand jury returned a murder indictment against Sgt. Garrett Hardin in connection with the July 8, 2022, death of Roderick Brooks.
"Hardin had been on administrative duty pending his case’s presentation to a grand jury. Now that the grand jury has issued an indictment, Hardin will be relieved of duty. The sheriff’s Administrative Disciplinary Committee will now review the case and recommend possible disciplinary action."
The Harris County District Attorney's Office released the following statement:
"A Harris County grand jury on Thursday indicted Harris County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Garrett Hardin on a first-degree felony charge of murder, stemming from the July 2022 fatal shooting of Roderick Brooks.
"It is the policy of the Harris County District Attorney’s Office to present all officer-involved shootings to a grand jury to determine whether probable cause exists to support criminal charges. Harris County grand juries are composed of 12 randomly selected county residents who hear all available evidence in a case, including witnesses.
"If nine or more grand jurors agree that probable cause exists, they issue a “true bill,” or indictment.
"This process ensures that all such cases are subject to community review at the grand jury and, if necessary, trial level.
"Now that an indictment has been handed down by the grand jury, the charges against Sgt. Hardin will proceed through the criminal court process like any other case."
If Hardin is convicted, he could spend 5 years to 99 years or life in prison, the DA's office said.
What the body camera shows
In the video, Hardin is seen pulling into a parking lot to follow the man accused of shoplifting.
Hardin gets out of his patrol vehicle and yells at Brooks, "Come here, dude." Brooks responds by running through a gas station parking lot. Hardin chases after Brooks and fires his Taser, striking him. Brooks, who had just run into a car that was pulling into the gas station, stopped moving and Hardin tackled him to the ground losing control of the Taser, the video appears to show.
While Hardin is on top of Brooks' back, Brooks struggles to try and get up and manages to grab the Taser but appears unable to lift his arms.
Hardin responded by telling Brooks, "I'm going to shoot you, put that down. I will f****** shoot you."
Hardin is then seen pulling out his pistol as Brooks loses control of the Taser. While Hardin is still on top of Brooks' back, Brooks appears to grab the Taser again and pulls it toward his own body.
Hardin then fired his pistol, shooting Brooks.
As Brooks lay motionless on the ground, Hardin appeared to apply pressure to the wound while talking on his radio.
"Shots fired," Hardin said in his first radio message. Moments later he spoke on the radio again. "I'm in the gas station parking lot, Bammelwood and Kuykendahl. Suspect's down. Need EMS."
According to HCSO, the shooting happened around 6:21 p.m. Brooks was pronounced dead at the scene at 6:31 p.m.