• about 8 years ago Stephen Berry

    The press conference represented the first time Acevedo had spoken publicly about the incident. He provided a timeline of events that lead up to the fatal confrontation:

    On Feb. 7, a call was made reporting that Joseph allegedly tried to coax a female neighbor to meet him across the street, an invitation she refused. As two other neighbors approached, Acevedo said he told the other residents they should “watch yourself now.”
    Feb. 8 at 6:30 a.m., a woman calls the non-emergency police line to report a male suspect wearing nothing but jeans and a T-shirt, despite the cold weather.
    The same day, at 9:21 a.m. a resident calls police to report a male suspect clad in a dark sweatsuit walking behind a fence line.
    Minutes later on Feb. 8, a 911 call is placed regarding the same sighting.
    At 9:28 a.m., Freeman is dispatched to the scene.
    Freeman arrives at the scene at 9:37 a.m.
    9:50 a.m., Freeman calls headquarters to report he was unable to find the suspect.
    9:57 a.m, an apartment complex manager calls to report a male suspect chasing a male resident
    10:23 a.m., Freeman spots a naked Joseph at Waterfall and Nature’s Bend as he approaches the area in his patrol car.
    Minutes later, on Feb. 8, Freeman stops his car at 10:25 a.m. as Joseph begins to turn around and, Acevedo said. Freeman fires his gun, but the killing is out of camera view, Acevedo said.

David Joseph, 18

Austin, Texas
February 09, 2016

Agencies: Austin Police Department Texas

Cause of death: Not Yet Known


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Overview

David Joseph, a 18-year-old high school student shot and killed by a Texas police officer, was unarmed and naked when a cop gunned him down in an Austin suburb.

The 18-year-old suspect, who was black, became the subject of several posts on the Austin neighborhood’s Facebook page before the officer confronted him 10 miles northeast of the city’s downtown just before 10 a.m.

An officer found the suspect standing in the middle of a street and “he appeared to be naked,” Assistant Police Chief Brian Manley said at a Monday afternoon media briefing.

The initial encounter was captured on a police dash cam, Manley said, but it failed to capture the moment the suspect allegedly charged the department’s 10-year veteran and the shooting that followed.

“Ultimately, you can hear shots being fired,” Manley said.

A witness heard the officer fire two shots without ever using his stun gun. The suspect died at a local hospital.

On Friday March 18, 2016, the autopsy report was released revealing that Joseph did not have any PCP in his system at the time of his death. According to the family's attorney, the evidence from the medical examiner also showed there was no up-close struggle where Officer Freeman had to pull his gun.

Legal Action

March 2016 Austin police fire Officer who shot naked teen dead.  On Tuesday May 17, 2016, a grand jury declined to indict the police officer who shot and killed Joseph..

Community and Family Efforts

October 2016 Petition :Officer Freeman should not work for the Austin Police Department, or for any other law enforcement agency. Officer Freeman has illustrated that he was incapable of de-escalating a situation where a person is distressed, unarmed and unrobed.

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