Jamaal Valentine is 27-year old Black man who died after being tased by the La Marque police officer. Police officers Richard Garcia, Forrest Gandy and Sgt. Mike Kelemen say that Valentine was "rolling around in the grass in a ditch." They go on to indicate that Valentine fought and bit them. Later, the police report even added something about Valentine reaching for a police sidearm. One of the cops shot Valentine with a taser gun. A few moments later he was died.
However, the 62-year old witness who called for help said the man was seeking medical help for a possible heart attack and didn’t appear to pose any threat to officers. Instead of calling medical aid for Valentine, police tried to arrest him. [SOURCE]
Asked if he thought Valentine was a threat to officers, Pope said, “No.”The incident has Valentine’s family asking for answers. His stepfather, Troy Terrell, said police had not talked to family members to explain what happened.
“I was as close as you could get to him,” Pope said. “I was face-to-face with him, and he was not threatening to me. He was in distress, needing help.”
Valentine is the 19th person killed in America this year by police tasers.
