Six officers were indicted last year, including Gerald Goines, who is accused of lying to get a warrant, and Steven Bryant, who is accused of tampering with government records.
Six other officers were charged Monday, according to a statement from Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg. The officers are facing various charges, including murder, tampering with government records and committing organized crime.
The raid took place on January 28, 2019 when a tactical team raided the home of Rhogena Nicholas and Dennis Tuttle, who were both killed along with their dog. Several Houston officials in the team were injured during the raid, including Goines.
“The consequences of corruption are that two innocent people and their dog were shot dead in their home by the police; four officers were shot, one paralyzed, and all will now face judges who will determine their fate,” the statement read. Ogg.
The Harris County District Attorney’s Civil Rights Division investigated the raid and found that Goines had lied to obtain a warrant for a ‘no-knock’ raid from a municipal judge, and found the victims’ drug activity, level of threat and other factors misrepresented. He alleges that a criminal informant bought heroin from a man at the address the previous day and that it was known that the man selling drugs had a gun.
Last year, prosecutors said Bryant misrepresented facts about the scene and the purchase of the drugs. Bryant provided a supplement to the original report that contained lies, the prosecutor said.
The investigation also found that officers were “involved in a long-term plan to steal overtime from the city,” Ogg said in a statement.
Former Houston police officer Felipe Gallegos has been charged with felony criminal mischief for killing Tuttle. His lawyer, Rusty Hardin, said Tuesday that Gallegos did not start firing during the raid until two other officers had already been shot.
“A large jury in Harris County has charged a hero at the request of the district attorney,” Hardin said. “It appears that they (Tuttle and Nicholas) were innocent of drug activities at the scene as alleged. But as soon as they started shooting, or as soon as Mr. Tuttle started shooting, he was not innocent. And there is no doubt, and “Nobody will contradict that.” Mr Tuttle started firing at the officers. “
“I have repeatedly said that the other officers involved in the incident, including the officer charged today, were not involved in obtaining the warrant and responded appropriately to the deadly threat they pose during their service. , “said Acevedo, adding that all current active officers charged have been relieved of their duties.
CNN’s Konstantin Toropin contributed to this report.