The family of a man killed by a police officer in April has released new graphic footage of the shooting.
The shooting, which took place on April 11 in San Marcos, Texas, resulted in the death of 22-year-old Malachi Williams at the hands of an officer from the San Marcos Police Department (SMPD), as reported by Fox 7 Austin.
Public trust in police officers has been steadily declining in recent years, driven by high-profile incidents of police misconduct, racial profiling, and use of excessive force. These cases have sparked nationwide protests and prompted calls for reform, as communities across the country demand greater transparency and accountability from law enforcement agencies. Surveys indicate that confidence in the police varies significantly by demographic, with Black and Hispanic Americans expressing lower levels of trust compared to white Americans.
Four months after the shooting, a Hays County Grand Jury found the officer, Alcides “Alex” Ventura, to be justified in his use of force.
However, despite the Grand Jury verdict, Williams’ family has been steadfast in their search for justice, starting the Justice for Malachi group and airing never-before-seen footage of his death which the family says casts doubt on the narrative shown on initial footage from police body cameras.
Initial Bodycam Footage & Public Statement
Initial bodycam footage released in August from the shooting shows Williams running from the police, and Officer Ventura attempting to stop him with a taser before deploying his gun.
Per a press release from Hays County following the Grand Jury result, Ventura was attempting to apprehend Williams after he was thought to be involved in an incident earlier that night where he allegedly threatened two people with knives.
The initial bodycam footage aired on Fox 7 shows Williams failing to comply with police orders to put his hands behind his back.
The footage from August then shows Williams running toward an open grocery store. According to Ventura, he was carrying two knives, although that is unclear from the footage.
Per the Hays County press release, and the corresponding bodycam footage, Officer Ventura attempted to deploy his taser twice, before shooting and killing Williams.
Hays County Attorney General Kelly Higgins said in August: “We are saddened by the loss of life, but the actions of Mr. Williams posed a threat to public safety. This officer was forced to make a difficult decision in order to protect the public.”
New Area & Witness Footage
The new footage which was released by Malachi William’s family and aired on Fox 7 Austin is made up of witness video and video from outside the Snax Max convenience store where Williams was initially apprehended.
The family says these videos show a different chain of events than the body camera and what was previously stated by the Grand Jury.
While the originally released footage shows Ventura outside of the Snax Max attempting to talk down Williams, and then Williams running away from him (from the point of view of the officer’s body camera), CCTV from outside of the Snax Max shows Ventura clearly pulling out his gun while talking to Williams, an act the family says likely contributed to Williams’ decision to run away from the officer.
Williams’ grandfather Wayne Miller told Fox 7: “The narrative so far is, prior to seeing this, was that…they had to take him outside of the store because he was too dangerous to apprehend him in the store.
“But it shows us they only wanted to take him outside of the store to intimidate him.”
The SMPD and Hays County media office have been contacted via email for comment.
Williams’ family also released a second video of the scene after he was shot. This video shows officers around Williams who is blurred out in the footage but is said to be lying on the ground. In this footage, one of the officers appears to kick Williams while another officer kneels nearby and two additional officers stand and walk around in the area.
Miller told Fox 7: “There was basically no rendering of medical aid. There was no compassion. No empathy. “
This is counter to the narrative put out by Hays County review, conducted by the SMPD and the Texas Rangers, which reported: “Despite attempts at life saving measures, [Williams] did not survive.”
Chief Standridge of the SMPD said in a press conference earlier in the year: “Multiple officers arrived and a fire marshal. Thankfully, the fire marshal is also a certified paramedic, so the paramedic was on scene literally within a minute or less and began providing aid.”
This new footage has been released in the wake of several high-profile police shooting cases in Texas.
Officer Christopher Taylor of the Austin Police Department was just found guilty of deadly conduct in a shooting that was deemed to be “completely avoidable.”
Additionally, the case of a Texas Constable who was cleared of charges regarding the shooting of an unarmed man in 2016 is headed to the Supreme Court for a review under a Civil Rights claim.
It is unclear whether this new footage will reopen Williams’ case, as it was declared closed after the Grand Jury result in August.
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