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Man suing APD over 2017 officer-involved shooting
Four Austin police officers shot Parrish seven times. He was also locked up for more than a year for aggravated assault on a public servant, a charge which was later dropped.
AUSTIN, Texas - Lawrence Parrish was in federal court awaiting the verdict of a civil case versus the Austin Police Department. He is seeking damages in the amount of more than $2 million.
"I trust the system, I trust the jury, I trust the judge," said Robert Ranco, Parrish’s attorney.
Four Austin police officers shot Parrish seven times, according to Ranco. He was also locked up for more than a year for aggravated assault on a public servant, a charge which was later dropped. "He lost part of his hand. He still has two bullet fragments in his torso," said Ranco.
On the night of the shooting, Parrish's girlfriend called 911 from their East Austin home to report an altercation between Parrish and her brother. When police arrived, officers say Parrish pulled out a gun and fired at them. "About 48 hours later we learned that that was a complete fallacy. They've had to revise their story as the facts came," said Ranco.
Video evidence was also deemed unreliable according to Ranco because it didn't capture critical info, something then-Interim Chief Brian Manley stated right afterward. "We have ten plus police officers at the scene, we have ten plus police cruisers and we don't have one shred of dash-cam video that is useful, we don’t have any bodycam footage," said Ranco.
"This is on video, but the video does not capture Mr. Parrish's front door based on the direction the car was pointing," said Interim Chief Brian Manley in 2017.
The biggest argument in court was the gun. Did Parrish have one when he was shot?
The officers' attorneys say yes, that is the sole reason they fired.
Ranco noted a detective said the gun was shot out of Parrish's hand. He said if that is the case, there would have been blood and damage all over the gun once police shot him. "There's no blood, flesh, no bone, there is no damage, not on the side that was exposed to police," he said.
The case is now in the hands of the jury.
The City of Austin released a statement to Fox 7 Austin: "The officers appreciate the jury’s careful consideration of the evidence and await the jury’s determination."
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UPDATE: Lawrence Parrish has lost his case. The jury deemed the officers' actions necessary.
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