A white police officer in the US state of Texas has been arrested and charged with murder, following the death on Saturday of a black man who was reportedly trying to break up a fight.
The officer, Shaun Lucas, is accused of killing 31-year-old Jonathan Price.
Witnesses and a lawyer for Price’s family said he had stepped in to try to stop a man assaulting a woman at a petrol station in Wolfe City.
They say he was Tasered, then shot and killed.
It is the latest in a series of cases in which white police officers have been accused of killing black Americans, including George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Rayshard Brooks.
“Officer Lucas made contact with a man, later identified as 31-year-old Jonathan Price, who was reportedly involved in the disturbance,” a statement released to local media by the Texas Department of Public Safety said.
“Officer Lucas attempted to detain Price, who resisted in a non-threatening posture and began walking away.”
The officer then Tasered Price before shooting him, the statement reportedly said. Price died later in hospital.
“The preliminary investigation indicates that the actions of Officer Lucas were not objectionably reasonable,” it added.
The hashtag #JusticeForJonathan has since been trending on social media, while protests have taken place in Texas.
Civil rights attorney Lee Merritt told a news conference on Monday that the Price family is “grappling with the reality that they’re never going to see Jonathan again in this lifetime”.
“Mr Price did not become violent, but there was a male who was aggressive towards a woman,” he said.
“He intervened, and the situation was resolved before law enforcement arrived, according to witnesses,” he added.
“Why this officer still felt the need to Tase and shoot Jonathan is beyond comprehension.”
Mr Merritt has called for Lucas’s bodycam footage of the incident to be released.
Source: bbc.com
