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The Austin office of the FBI has been directed by the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate the fatal shooting of a teenager by a police officer.
Austin Police Chief Stan Knee said the FBI has requested all of the documentation pertaining to this incident after APD completes its investigation.
Daniel Rocha, an 18-year-old Southeast Austin resident, was fatally shot Thursday night during a struggle with Austin Police Officer Julie Shroeder during a drug sting in his neighborhood. Rocha was pulled over for suspicion of participating in narcotics activity reported in the neighborhood. No drugs were found on Rocha's body, although a small amount was found in the vehicle in which he was riding, according to police statements.
"The FBI will be performing a preliminary investigation into the case and then forwarding the report to the Department of Justice," said Rene Salinas, spokesman for the bureau.
The Department of Justice will decide whether or not there is a need for further investigation, Salinas said.
According to Salinas, the FBI routinely investigates officer-involved shooting cases.
"We investigated in four or five of the previous 11 cases in Austin," Salinas said.
Nearly 100 people gathered at Austin police headquarters Monday to demonstrate their disapproval of current police policies that led up to Rocha's death. Protestors, including Rocha's friends and neighbors, accused APD of police brutality and racial discrimination.
This investigation is the independent criminal investigation the community was asking for in its protest, Knee said.
"The bureau's investigation will be a more thorough investigation than what an attorney hired by the police monitor would have done," he said.
In the current APD investigation, the department will gather information about the incident and report it to the Travis County District Attorney's office. Then the district attorney will present the information to a grand jury, Knee said. The grand jury will then decide if the officer acted lawfully, he said.
"Some people will see this investigation by the FBI as negative, but I hope most in the community will understand there is no better agency to perform this investigation," Knee said. "[APD] will be held accountable for both the criminal and administrative investigations."
A neighborhood meeting will be held tonight at 7 p.m. at the Dove Springs Recreation Center to discuss the status of the investigation and other current public safety concerns. Knee and representatives from the Office of the Police Monitor, the League of United Latin American Citizens and City Council are expected to attend.
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