The trial of a Baytown police officer indicted for shooting and killing Pamela Turner in 2019 got started on Thursday.
Juan Delacruz is charged with aggravated assault by a public servant, a first-degree felony.
On the first day of the trial, both the prosecution and defense got through the day's three witnesses faster than expected.
We were shown new video of the shooting from officer Delacruz's body camera and we also learned about the struggle in those final seconds.
During opening statements, prosecutor Tim Adams walked the jury through the night of May 13, 2019, at the Brixton Apartments in Baytown, where both Turner and Delacruz both lived.
Delacruz was working security, patrolling in a marked car in uniform, when he saw Turner, ran her name and found that she had outstanding warrants.
According to an investigation by the Texas Rangers, Delacruz tried to restrain Turner, but she resisted and they both ended up on the ground. That's when they said then Delacruz fired his Taser.
According to the prosecution, as Turner was trying to walk to her apartment, Delacruz caught up to her and used his Taser on her, causing her to fall to the ground. The prosecution said Delacruz used his Taser on Turner once more after she went to the ground.
Adams said Turner grabbed Delacruz's Taser as he was trying to put her in handcuffs and pulled the trigger. That's when the prosecution says Delacruz jumped off and fired his gun five times. Three of those shots hit Turner, killing her.
Adams told the jury that while Tasers should be used in some situations, this was not one of them.
“It did not have to happen,” said Adams. “It should not have happened.”
Defense lawyer Gregory B. Cagle opted to defer his opening statement until later in the trial.
Prosecutors then played body camera video of the struggle and shooting for the jury several times.
Lt. Eric Lopez with the Texas Rangers testified Turner resisted arrest, then used the Taser on Delacruz’s genitals, which can cause serious bodily injury.
When asked by Cagle about the use of deadly force here, Lt. Lopez replied, “My opinion was that it was reasonable.”
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump is representing Turner's family in a civil lawsuit over her death.
“I don’t care what the Texas Rangers say. There is no way to justify this," Crump said.
“I pray that she pops up in your dreams as you try to have a restful night because that’s what happens to me," Chelsea Rubin said in a message to Delacruz. "I see this video over and over and over and over, and I can’t get it out of my head, and I hate you for what you did.”
The jury also heard from a use-of-force expert and the apartment complex property manager.
If convicted, Delacruz faces between five years to life in prison.