On Wednesday, Houston City Council will consider paying $1.2 million to the family of Jordan Baker, a 26-year-old unarmed black man who was fatally shot by a Houston police officer in 2014.
The potential settlement stems from the January of 2014 shooting death of Baker at a strip mall. Ten year veteran of the Houston Police Department, officer Juventino Castro Castro, was working a part-time security job at local strip mall. According to reports, the mall was the site of several robberies.
At some point during his shift, Castro pursued Baker, claiming the man matched the suspect in the robberies. While the officer contended that Baker charged him, according to the lawsuit filed by Baker’s family, the man was shot as he attempted to flee Castro.
As a result, Baker’s mother, Janet Baker, filed a federal lawsuit against the City of Houston in 2015, alleging the wrongful death of her 26-year-old son. She has long been vocal about her son’s death being racially motivated. Castro was cleared in December 2014 of any wrongdoing in the murder.
But now, the city is considering a settlement, and apparently, Houston’s Black Lives Matter chapter was pleased with the possibility.
“I am happy that Janet Baker is getting some justice, even though she can’t bring her son back. She deserves this peace,” said Ashton P. Woods on behalf of the city’s BLM sector.
