Grand Jury Refuses to Indict Houston Deputy Who Shot Black Man

A Houston grand jury declined to indict a Texas sheriff’s deputy Friday who shot and killed a Black man in April 2020. Tu Tran, a deputy with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, fatally shot Joshua Johnson, 35, when the latter approached the officer’s unmarked car with a BB gun and a flashlight, according to police reports. The deputy told Johnson to put the gun down, but Johnson raised it instead, and the officer shot in response, police reports said. Johnson had been house-sitting for a neighbor. His family does not believe the deputy’s story. Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said the grand jury proceedings had been fair: “As with all officer-involved shootings, we presented all of the evidence to a grand jury and gave parties the opportunity to come forward to testify.”