Texas Police Officer Fired, Charged With Murder Over Fatal Shooting Of Black Man

Shaun Lucas, a white police officer facing a murder charge for the killing of a Black man in Wolfe City, Texas, has been fired.

Lucas is accused of killing Jonathan Price on Oct. 3 after he responded to a call about a possible fight in the city, which is about 70 miles northeast of Dallas.

His termination, which was announced by city officials on Thursday, comes amid intense scrutiny of cases in which law enforcement has used excessive force against communities of color. It also comes amid ongoing national protests sparked by other Black Americans being killed or severely injured by law enforcement, including George Floyd, Rayshard Brooks, Breonna Taylor, and Jacob Blake.

"Mr. Lucas was terminated for his egregious violation of the City's and police department's policies," the Wolfe City government said in a statement on its Facebook page.

The city's statement did not provide details about what policies Lucas violated. It did thank the community for keeping the protests peaceful that have been sparked by Price's killing.

"Wolfe City is a tight-knit community, and we join you in mourning Jonathan's death and the events of the last week," the statement continued.

According to an affidavit prepared by Texas Ranger Laura Simmons, Lucas arrived on the scene at about 8:30 p.m. on Saturday evening, where he was "greeted" by Price. The document adds that Price asked the officer several times "you doing good" while also "extending his hand in a handshake gesture."

Lucas then attempted to detain him, according to the affidavit. He later told the Ranger that he thought Price was intoxicated.

"I can't be detained," Price stated, according to the document.

After grabbing Price's arm and issuing verbal commands, the officer warned Price that he would used his service stun gun if the Black man did not comply.

The document says Price did not comply and began to walk away, prompting Lucas to "deploy the taser which was not fully effective."

As he was being tased, Price reportedly walked back towards Lucas and appeared to reach for the stun gun. That's when Lucas discharged his service weapon, striking Price four times, the document states.

He was later pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.

The affidavit states the encounter was captured by officer-worn body camera. That video has not been released to the public.

Lucas is currently being held at the Collin County jail, according to The Dallas Morning News.

The paper also notes that a lawyer for Lucas says Price was the aggressor and that his client only fired when Price tried to "take his Taser."

"Mr. Price resisted the effects of the Taser and attempted to take it away from Officer Lucas," attorney Robert Rogers said, according to the paper. "Officer Lucas only discharged his weapon in accordance with Texas law when he was confronted with an aggressive assailant who was attempting to take his Taser."

But Lee Merritt, a lawyer for Price's family, told The Associated Press that witnesses said Price was "too far away to even be considered as reaching for the" Taser. He added that after Price was hit with the stun gun, "muscle movements at that point were involuntary, so he wasn't reaching for anything consciously."

As member station KETR reported, Lucas was arrested and charged on Oct. 5, with a bail set at $1 million. Earlier in the week, the station reported that Price's family said he had tried to break up an altercation between another man and a woman at a Kwik Check convenience store.

The Texas Department of Public Safety said in a statement on Monday that Lucas' actions "were not objectionably reasonable."

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