HOUSTON, Texas — A Houston family who just buried their 27-year-old son is threatening to sue the Texas Department of Criminal Justice where he died in the line of duty.
Jovian Motley was killed in the Wainwright Unit on Nov. 13 while helping other correctional officers restrain an inmate.
Motley's family spoke with us Monday after spending hours inside DPS Regional Headquarters in Houston where they viewed video of the incident.
"I still feel that I’m at square one," Tammica Motley, the victim's mother said. "I still feel that we do not have the answers we need.”
The family’s attorney could not share specifics on what the video showed but said much of it was dark and hard to make out. There's one thing he said was crystal clear.
"We saw a prison that is ill equipped for officers to do their job,” attorney Justin Moore said.
DPS officers also presented the family with the boots Motley wore the day he died.
"This mother came here to find answers regarding what happened to her son and they gave her boots,” community activist Deric Muhammad said.
At the news conference, family members wore t-shirts with Jovian's image and the smile for which he was known.
"Everything about him was me," father Ed Motley. "The smile, it’s mine.”
The Office of Inspector General is investigating Motley’s death. TDCJ said it will not release any more information since it's a criminal investigation.
"We’re not going to stop until we get the truth. My son did not have to die," Tammica said. "He had so much life still to live. He had so many dreams and aspirations and things he wanted to do; and it was cut short.”
Meanwhile, we got this statement from the TDCJ:
The video of the incident leading up to the line of duty death of Correctional Officer Jovian Motley was shown to his family today after it was cleared by law enforcement. This was done out of consideration for the family and in efforts to provide transparency into the tragedy.
The death of Officer Motley is still under investigation by the Office of Inspector General (OIG). Similar to the family, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) is awaiting the results of the investigation to further understand the events that preceded his tragic death. TDCJ is fully cooperating with OIG and the Special Prosecution Unit on this ongoing criminal investigation as well as conducting an internal review. The agency is evaluating the policies surrounding inmate extractions.
As the external and internal investigations are completed, more information will be shared with the family and the public.