Durham Police Chief Jose Lopez told reporters Wednesday that 17-year-old Jesus Huerta died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head while handcuffed in the back of a patrol car last month. Lopez said a handgun was found on the floorboard of the car and that it was not a departmental weapon. Huerta had been searched prior to being placed in the car, he said.

Via WRAL:

It’s unclear why Duncan did not find the gun when he searched Huerta. “One of my concerns is the nature of the search. Was it a good enough search,” said Durham City Councilman Steve Schewel, who also spoke to reporters Wednesday. “We do need to understand (really well) what happened, and once we understand what happened really well, it all needs to be out there.”

WRAL – Teen shot self in head while in Durham police custody

Read Lopez’s full statement:

Arturo Carmona, Executive Director of Presente.org, issued the following statement in response:

“The absurd statements by Durham Police Chief Jose Lopez about the shooting death of Jesus Huerta are sad, predictable and prove what the Huerta family and local Latinos know: the Durham Police cannot and will not conduct a transparent investigation of the incident. The Department of Justice needs to step in. Lopez insults the dignity of the Huerta family and the intelligence of the entire community when he states, “I know that it is hard for people not in law enforcement to understand how someone could be capable of shooting themselves while handcuffed behind the back.”

Presente.org has partnered with Huerta’s family to demand a federal investigation of the Durham Police Department. Read more here.