No decision yet in fatal police shooting of unarmed man

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A grand jury is expected to reconvene Tuesday at the Harris County Courthouse to decide whether a Houston police officer should be charged in a deadly shooting of an unarmed man last January.

Officer Juventino Castro shot and killed 26-year-old Jordan Baker last January.

Castro spotted Baker outside of a shopping center last January. Castro, who was working in uniform at an extra job, says Baker matched the description of a robbery suspect. He claims Baker charged towards him after he confronted Baker. Castro fired once, striking Baker, who was unarmed.

"People have a right to be concerned anytime someone's life is taken in an incident involving a police officer," Houston Police Chief Charles McClelland said.

Police officers in Harris County are rarely indicted. In fact, according to Houston police watchdog group, Civiliansdown.com, since 2005, 95 people have been killed by Houston police officers and 130 have been shot and wounded. None of those officers involved were ever indicted.

"If this case doesn't get indicted in Harris County, it's incumbent upon the Department of Justice in Washington to pursue a federal civil rights lawsuit," KTRK legal analyst Joel Androphy said.

Deric Muhammad, a representative for Baker's family, says they want justice for Baker's death.

"The officer admits that he profiled Jordan Baker. He said he looked like one of the suspects that had been described, that had committed a recent string of robberies. He was not one of those suspects, but he was profiled. This is how this incident and the encounter started in the first place. And this man ends up dead. So if they no bill this officer -- the same way Jordan Baker was murdered in January -- today they'll kill him again," Muhammad said.

Muhammad went on to say further that if this does happen, if he is no-billed, there could be even more protests in Houston.

The grand jury can decide if charges should be filed, or the officer is no billed.

The decision could come Tuesday.