Grand jury still probing HPD killing of unarmed man

Janet Baker, mother of Jordan Baker prays with a group of activists outside the grand jury room at the Harris County Criminal Justice Center. Janet Baker, mother of Jordan Baker prays with a group of activists outside the grand jury room at the Harris County Criminal Justice Center. Photo: Johnny Hanson / Houston Chronicle Photo: Johnny Hanson / Houston Chronicle Image 1 of / 14 Caption Close Grand jury still probing HPD killing of unarmed man 1 / 14 Back to Gallery

A Harris County grand jury continued its investigation on Thursday into the January fatal shooting of an unarmed man by a Houston police officer.

The panel, which was scheduled to interview its final witness on Thursday and worked through lunch, will meet again next Tuesday to potentially decide whether to indict or clear Officer Juventino Castro in the death of 26-year-old Jordan Baker.

The inquiry marks one of Harris County's first grand jury deliberations in a police shooting after recent unrest over the lack of indictments in the officer-involved deaths of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., and Eric Garner in New York.

Baker's death has gained national attention as another unarmed black man killed by police, a trend that has sparked protests and calls for body cameras on officers.

Via social media this week, Ferguson-based activists asked the public to flood the email inbox of Harris County District Attorney Devon Anderson - as well as her phone line - with messages in support of indicting Castro.

Baker had a son, now 8, and worked part time in manufacturing. His mother, Janet Baker, and maternal relatives of her grandson, were awaiting the grand jury's decision in a lobby at the Harris County Criminal Justice Center. Janet Baker declined a request to speak with grand jurors, whose deliberations are secret.

She has maintained that Castro profiled her son - who was wearing a black hoodie - as a criminal.

Activists and supporters prayed with her just before lunch time and remained hopeful that the grand jury would indict the officer so that his actions can be considered by a trial jury.

Other mothers whose sons have been injured or killed in local shootings also joined Janet Baker, who waited for hours to be present if the grand jury made a decision Thursday. One such supporter was Marian Tolan. Her son, Robbie Tolan, survived being shot by a Bellaire Police Department officer in 2008 while in the driveway of his parents' Bellaire home. The officer was indicted by a Harris County grand jury, but acquitted at trial. The Tolans' federal civil rights lawsuit against the officer and various city officials was revived this spring by the U.S. Supreme Court and is scheduled for trial next year.

Jordan Baker encountered Castro outside a shopping center in the 5700 block of West Little York near Antoine, where the businesses had experienced a recent string of robberies, according to a Houston Police Department release.

The officer, who was in uniform and had been on the force for 10 years, was working an extra security job at the location, the agency reported.

Castro's attempt to stop Baker in the parking lot led to a brief struggle and foot chase, the release said. When Baker stopped running away, he reached into his waistband and charged the officer, police contend. Castro fired his gun once and struck Baker. The officer was not injured in the incident, police said.

During his weekly media availability on Thursday afternoon, HPD Chief Charles McClelland said Castro was placed on standard three-day administrative duty immediately following the shooting. An internal investigation to determine if the officer violated any agency policies or procedures will begin after the grand jury delivers its decision, the chief said.

Harris County grand juries have cleared HPD officers of criminal wrongdoing in all shootings since 2008. More than a quarter of the 121 civilians shot by the department's officials from 2008 to 2012 were - like Baker - unarmed, according to a Houston Chronicle analysis.