Mother whose son was shot by off-duty HPD officer says protests bring her hope

HOUSTON, TX (KTRK) -- People around the world are marching for change after the police killing of George Floyd, and that means new attention for others who have been killed in police encounters.

"I felt like I got the news about Jordan yesterday and it's just going through that grief process," said Janet Baker, whose son was killed in 2014. "The different stages because it's the shock, the denial, the unbelief."

26 year old Jordan Baker was killed six years ago by an off-duty Houston Police officer.

Officer Juventino Castro was working security at a northwest Houston strip mall when he saw Baker, who was dressed in a hoodie.

Castro followed Baker and says the young man put his hand in his waistband and was uncooperative.

Castro said he shot and killed Baker because he feared for his life and was no billed by a Harris County Grand Jury later that year.

Since then, Baker has been awarded a 1.2 million dollar settlement from the city.

Castro is still on the force.

"We still don't know what happened in that alley," Baker said. "The real truth about what happened to Jordan."

Baker's death wasn't captured on video, but millions around the world did see Floyd's death, and Janet hopes that will lead to police reform.

"Something as simple as sending a letter and asking for implicit bias training, de-escalation training," she explained. "I'm hearing it now in stereo. Maybe it will happen. I hope that it will. It helps because I feel the pain of him being forgotten and just going away."