San Antonio police officer who shot 13-year-old will not face criminal charges

A grand jury declined to indict San Antonio police officer Stephen Ramos, who fatally shot 13-year-old Andre "AJ" Hernandez last year, Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales said on Thursday.

Ramos, who joined the San Antonio Police Department in 2019 and is still on duty despite taking part in two fatal shootings, won't face any legal action.

Officers were responding to reports of gunfire in Southeast San Antonio on June 3, 2022, when they "identified and attempted to stop a suspect vehicle, which was later confirmed to have been reported stolen," according to a SAPD account of the event. The vehicle that "advanced towards a marked SAPD police vehicle, smashing into the officer's patrol vehicle" was being driven by Hernandez.

According to authorities, Ramos, a second cop, fired into the car and struck the youngster out of "fear that the other officer would be struck" by the vehicle. In a hospital, Hernandez later passed away. Two other passengers in the automobile, ages 15 and 16, were allegedly unharmed.

In a statement, Gonzales stated that his office agreed with the grand jury's conclusion, which was supported by research done by his office's Human Rights Division.

Gonzales stated that although "our system of justice is founded on citizen participation," nothing could ever undo the suffering and loss felt by AJ Hernandez's family. On that awful day, a small kid tragically passed away, and we all agree that no mother should ever have to bury their child.

At the time, authorities said that because Hernandez was a minor, state law prevented SAPD from publicly publishing videos and reports on the incident. Nevertheless, the majority of the children' faces were blurred out in a Civil Rights Division review of the incident that was published on Friday. It included 911 call audio snippets, pictures, and bodycam and dashcam footage from the incident.

Ramos was wanted for murder by Hernandez's family. Attorney Lee Merritt announced last year that he would file a civil lawsuit against the officer and the City of San Antonio on behalf of Hernandez's family and other families of persons killed by police.

Merritt stated in an email sent on Friday that the family will pursue a federal civil rights action and that they are "devastated" by the grand jury's decision not to indict Ramos.

Source:- https://sanantonioreport.org/san-antonio-police-officer-fatal-shooting-andre-aj-hernandez/