'You didn't see them?!': HPD releases footage showing moment when officer hit and killed mother

Rosie Nguyen Image
Thursday, November 28, 2024 2:10AM
HPD releases footage showing moment when officer hit and killed mother
Houston police released a dashcam video showing the moments before and after an officer hit and killed a mother along Antoine near Pinemont.

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The family of a mother who was hit and killed by a Houston police officer back on Sept. 19 is outraged after watching the dashcam and body camera video of the incident. They said the footage was not shown to them before the Houston Police Department released it publicly Wednesday.

The dashcam video shows Officer Shelby Kennedy traveling along Antoine near Pinemont at 9:52 p.m. when she drove into a group of three people standing on the road. A fourth person could be seen standing on an island in the middle of the street.

RELATED: Woman dies after being hit in front of her kids by HPD unit transporting suspect

Everyone managed to jump out of harm's way except for Desire Pool.

Kennedy's partner, Officer Joshua Rosales, could be heard screaming as he sat in the passenger's seat of the HPD vehicle during the crash.

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Oh, my (explicit) God! You didn't see them?" Rosales exclaimed in the video.

"No!" Kennedy replied.

Kennedy's body camera video shows Pool's children screaming and crying at their mother's side as officers administered CPR and called for an ambulance. Pool, 41, was later pronounced dead at the hospital.

One of Pool's children could be heard yelling in the footage, "My mom! Y'all killed my mom!"

Investigators previously said the officers were transporting an arrested suspect to the Joint Processing Center at the time of the crash.

They don't believe speed was a factor but have not released details about how fast Kennedy was driving. They said Pool was not standing in a crosswalk during the crash.

Pool's family, who lives in Illinois, told ABC13 that HPD did not show them the video before releasing it to the public and feel that the timing is insensitive.

"I'm really upset, surprised, and horrified at the way the accident went down. For this to come out a day before Thanksgiving that's disrespectful. It's the lowest thing you can do. It's like putting salt in a wound," said Lee Gordon, Pool's uncle. "This whole family is hurting because of that one night that the police weren't paying attention. She is going to be truly missed."

Gordon said Pool leaves behind four children, two of which are now dealing with the trauma of witnessing their mother's death. Their family is now trying to figure out how to move forward as they wait for the outcome of the investigation.

"Her two children saw their mother get mowed down in the street. They're having nightmares. We're trying our best to get them mental health care so we can get them back to normal," Gordon said. "I really want to see justice done. We need more than a public apology. We want to see that officer held accountable."

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