Houston Team Secures Summary Judgment For Police Officer In Fatal Shooting Case

Houston, Texas (December 13, 2023) - Houston Partner Norman Ray Giles and Houston and Salt Lake City Partner Bill Helfand on Tuesday obtained summary judgment in favor of a police officer in a lawsuit stemming from a fatal officer-involved shooting.

The lawsuit arose from a May 2019 incident that occurred while Lewis Brisbois' client, an officer for the City of Baytown Police Department, was on duty at an apartment complex in which he also lived. The officer encountered a suspect who was yelling while standing in a parking lot. The officer confirmed the suspect had outstanding warrants for arrest based on other offenses and approached the suspect. Instead of submitting to arrest, the suspect fought the officer and gained control of the officer's taser. The suspect used the taser against the officer, who drew his handgun and fired, fatally wounding the suspect. The decedent's family sued the officer and the City of Baytown in the U.S. District Court for the Southern