Family, attorneys speak out after Hays County inmate shot, killed by corrections officer

SAN MARCOS, Texas - Jan. 2, family attorneys for a man shot and killed by a corrections officer spoke out and demanded justice for the death of their loved one.

Ben Crump, a civil rights lawyer who represented the families of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery, appeared at a press conference with Joshua Wright’s family Jan. 2 in San Marcos to demand the release of body camera footage and surveillance video.

"They took something from me that can't be replaced, and I just want to know why, why, why did you do this to him. You did not have to do this, there were less lethal ways to handle the situation," said Chris Clark, Wright’s brother.

Mid-December, FOX 7 reported that then Hays County inmate Joshua Wright was shot and killed by a corrections officer after they say he tried to escape a Kyle hospital.

RELATED STORY: Hays County inmate shot, killed by corrections officer after he tried to escape Kyle hospital: Sheriff

During the rally, family attorney Chevo Pastrano held up leg shackles which he says Wright was wearing at the time.

"These shackles are made to prevent escape, these shackles are made to make it almost impossible to run," said Pastrano.

Pastrano told the gathering the leg restraints were still on when Wright went to the restroom, but his handcuffs were taken off. The situation escalated when a corrections officer tried to put them back on. 

Pastrano said a scuffle happened and then Wright tried to leave which resulted in being shot.

Wright's family says he was shot multiple times in the back while he was still in shackles. The Hays County Sheriff's Office has not confirmed those details.

Wright was in Hays County Jail for the following charges: Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle, Bail Jumping, Failure to Appear, Reckless Driving, Criminal Mischief, and Evading Arrest and Detention.

The Hays County Sheriff's Office says the 36-year-old was getting undisclosed medical treatment at Seton Hospital in Kyle.

Officials say Wright assaulted a corrections officer and ran through the emergency room. The corrections officer fired a shot, hitting Wright and leading to his death.

The officer involved was placed on administrative leave as per protocol.

CLEAT, a law enforcement advocacy group, says they believe Wright had access to medical instruments and could have used them as weapons.

CLEAT is also giving legal assistance to the unidentified corrections officer.

"It's my understanding that he attacked the deputy, hit him in the throat and physically attacked him, and then made his way toward these potential weapons that could have been used against patients and nurses and the medical staff there," said Charlie Wilkison from CLEAT in mid-December.

The potential weapons, according to a CLEAT social media post, were emergency room medical utensils. The tweet was later deleted and during the FOX 7 interview, Wilkison backed off the initial account of being armed by saying "he did not know if Wright was armed." 

That change in narrative prompted a harsh reaction when FOX 7 pointed it out to attorney Ben Crump.

"So they lied, so they lied," said Crump.

Crump and his legal team claim an autopsy shows Wright was shot six times. The group at the rally was told some wounds entered from Wright’s back. 

"We are not asking for anything special. We are not asking for anything extra. All Miss Beverly, all Chris and Serena are asking for is equal justice. If this had been your son, your father, whatever you would want to happen, that's what these Black people want to happen," said Crump.

A spokesperson for the Hays County Sheriff's Office told FOX7 there is no timeline for the release of the video. 

"If this was his fault, I can accept it. But show us the video. Show us the Video. Show us the video," said Beverley Wright.

Hays County judge Ruben Becerra cannot legally force Sheriff Gary Cutler to release the video. Becerra, last month, did urge the sheriff to make the video public by Dec. 22, which did not happen. 

Wright’s friends and family are expected to be at the Hays County Commissioners Court meeting Tuesday morning. They will try to ask the full commission to intervene.