Jury acquits former Harris County deputy in killing of unarmed man

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Friday, August 9, 2019
Jury acquits ex-Harris County deputy in killing of unarmed man
The incident took place in the Greenspoint area, where deputies say Danny Thomas was reportedly acting erratically and "foaming at the mouth"

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A former Harris County Sheriff's Deputy has been acquitted in the killing of an unarmed man.

Cameron Brewer was charged with aggravated assault by a public servant in the deadly shooting of Danny Thomas back in March 2018.

The incident took place in the Greenspoint area, where deputies say Thomas was reportedly acting erratically and "foaming at the mouth" on a road in the Greenspoint area.

WATCH: Dashcam video released in deadly deputy-involved shooting

The Harris County Sheriff's Office released dashcam video of last week's deadly, deputy-involved shooting of Danny Ray Thomas, 35.

Brewer says he ordered Thomas to stop walking, but investigators say when Thomas kept going, Brewer fired the fatal shot, striking Thomas in the chest.

Dashcam video from the incident showed Thomas approaching Brewer's patrol car with his pants down. Then, moments later, shots were fired.

Deputies say an internal investigation showed Brewer did not properly follow the sheriff's use of force policy when he shot Thomas to death.

The district attorney's office released the following statement:

"We felt this was an important case to bring to a jury so that jurors could hear all the evidence and we respect the jury's verdict," said Dane Schiller, spokesman for the Harris County District Attorney's Office. "Whenever a citizen dies at the hands of a law enforcement officer, it is an especially significant case for the community. Such cases are tragedies all around. Our hearts go out to the family of Danny Thomas."

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