US

Police Reportedly Shoot Texas Man Trying To Break Up A Fight

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Police allegedly tased then shot a man outside a gas station in Texas Saturday night, an ABC affiliate reported.

Jonathan Price, 31, reportedly tried to diffuse a fight between a man and woman outside a Kwik Check gas station in Wolfe City, according to ABC affiliate WFAA-TV. Witnesses said the man assaulted Price and when officers arrived they allegedly tased and shot Price.

The Wolfe City officer was placed on administrative leave after the incident, WFAA-TV reported. Price’s identity was confirmed to the outlet by relatives.

“When police arrived, I’m told, he raised his hands and attempted to explain what was going on,” civil rights lawyer Lee Merritt said on Facebook. “Police fired tasers at him and when his body convulsed from the electrical current, they ‘perceived a threat’ and shot him to death.”

This one hurts… for so many reasons. pic.twitter.com/Z1gTYJFXuX

— Will Middlebrooks (@middlebrooks) October 4, 2020

“That’s what he always did, tried to help others. I taught him that all the years,” Price’s mother Marcella Louis said, WFAA-TV reported.

Officials have not released information regarding the incident, though an investigation by the Texas Rangers has been opened, WFAA-TV reported.

A witness who was across the street when the shooting reportedly occurred said she heard three gunshots, WFAA-TV reported. “We were all in shock. Why would a cop shoot somebody,” witness Kyla Sanders said.

“We all love him and think so highly of him and just the nicest guy you could ever meet” Sanders said of Price. “We’re all devastated, shocked, we don’t really know what to do or where to go from here.”

“Everybody loved Jonathan. Everybody. Black, white, Mexican, it don’t matter,” Price’s sister April Louis said, WFAA-TV reported.

Price was a city employee who Sanders referred to as a “pillar of the community,” WFAA-TV reported.