Amid calls to end police brutality, incidents of police-induced violence against Black folks continue to make headlines. Each week, another heartbreaking story is shared in which a white officer has fatally shot an unarmed Black man or woman. In the most recent incident, a 22-year-old Texas cop has been charged with shooting a Black man who was known as a “pillar of the community.” Wolfe City Police Officer Shaun Lucas opened fire and killed Jonathan Price on Saturday after Price intervened in a domestic disturbance at a local Texas gas station convenience store.
According to S. Lee Merrit, the Price’s family attorney, Price had intervened after he saw a “man assaulting a woman.” In a statement Monday, the Texas Rangers said Lucas arrived at the scene following a call of a “possible fight in progress.” He not only Tasered Price but shot the 31-year-old unarmed Black man as he “resisted in a nonthreatening posture and began walking away.”
"[Price] intervened, and the situation was resolved before law enforcement arrived, according to witnesses," Merrit said. "Why this officer still felt the need to Tase and shoot Jonathan is beyond comprehension." Lucas was arrested and booked into Hunt County, Texas, jail on Monday by the Texas Rangers, The New York Times reported. His bond was set at $1 million and he bonded out before the morning, CBS News affiliate KTXA reported.
Lucas serves as one of three law enforcement officers present in the town. While Lucas was eventually arrested, like other officers who brutally attack and kill Black folks, he was not immediately arrested after murdering Price. He was suspended and put on administrative leave by the Wolfe City Police Department pending investigation, the department shared on Facebook.
The Texas officer’s arrest followed pleas from the Price family and a peaceful demonstration in Wolfe City, a town populated by fewer than 2,000 people. Hundreds gathered outside the convenience store where Price was killed Monday during a vigil where people chanted his name and called for the officer’s arrest. “The preliminary investigation indicates that the actions of Officer Lucas were not … reasonable,” the Texas Department of Public Safety said in a statement prior to the arrest, according to The Washington Post.
As of this report, officials have released very few details linked to the case. The family is calling for surveillance and police bodycam video to be shared. While the gas station provided surveillance footage to the police, it has not yet been shared with the family and their legal team. "We want to see a copy of the video. We want to see the official police reports," Merritt told CNN.
“When police arrived, I’m told, he raised his hands and attempted to explain what was going on,” Merritt wrote on Facebook. “Police fired tasers at him and when his body convulsed from the electrical current, they ‘perceived a threat’ and shot him to death.” Witnesses told ABC News affiliate WFAA that they saw a couple arguing and that when Price tried to step in, the man assaulted him. Officers then arrived and used a Taser on Price before shooting him.
Price’s death came as a shock and heartbreaking moment for many. According to Merritt, Price was not only a former college football player but a role model and trainer in the town. “He was a great guy. He was a hometown hero. He was a motivational speaker. He worked with kids,” he said at a Monday news conference. He added that the family is "grappling with the reality that they're never going to see Jonathan again."
Marcella Louis, Price’s mother, expressed her grief to WFAA, stating that she wasn’t even able to “get close to my baby” when she rushed to the scene after hearing what happened. “I just wanted to hold his hand and they wouldn’t let me do that," she said. "I just wanted to crawl over there to him."
Price’s death follows months of protesting the brutal police killings of Black Americans, including George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Rayshard Brooks. Merritt, who represented the families of Ahmaud Arbery and Atatiana Jefferson, told reporters Monday he has "agreed to do whatever it takes to get justice for JP."
Like other incidents of racial injustice and police brutality, the community is coming together to ensure Price gets justice. As of Tuesday morning, more than $70,000 was raised on a GoFundMe page for Price’s memorial and funeral services. The page was started by former Major League Baseball player Will Middlebrooks, who grew up with Price. "I'm sick. I'm heartbroken ... and I'm furious," Middlebrooks wrote on Facebook.
Middlebrooks added that the shooting was “purely an act of racism,” and encouraged the town to keep its peace. "This is a really, really tough loss for all of us," he said in a video shared on Facebook. "The last thing I want to see is that town get torn to pieces because of this. I understand you're angry I understand you're sad and broken we all are.”