Texas officer in fatal Taser struggle had crisis training

Ironically, the suburban Houston police officer who shot a woman to death in an altercation had received the exact kind of training designed to diffuse such situations

BAYTOWN, Texas (AP) — State records show a Texas police officer who fatally shot a woman who shocked him with his Taser had completed dozens of hours of crisis intervention training before the deadly arrest attempt. Bay...

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This undated photo provided by the Turner family shows Pamela Turner, right, with her daughter Chelsie Rubin in Baytown, Texas. (Courtesy of the Turner Family via AP)

BAYTOWN, Texas (AP) — State records show a Texas police officer who fatally shot a woman who shocked him with his Taser had completed dozens of hours of crisis intervention training before the deadly arrest attempt.

Baytown Officer Juan Delacruz completed a 16-hour crisis intervention course in 2013 and several similar trainings during his more 13 years in law enforcement.

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Police say Delacruz shot and killed Pamela Turner Monday after she used his Taser against him during a struggle. Turner’s family says she had paranoid schizophrenia, and that Delacruz was her neighbor and aware of her mental illness.

Texas Commission on Law Enforcement records show Delacruz updated his Taser training in 2018.

Before joining the Baytown police in 2008, Delacruz spent nearly three years as a jailor for the Harris County Sheriff’s office.

READ MORE: Medical examiner classifies police shooting of suburban Houston woman a homicide

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