The use of lethal police force against 17-year-old David Joseph has evoked a call to action by both the Texas chapter of the NAACP and youth justice groups. The Austin Police Department has named Geoffrey Freeman, a 10 year veteran of the force, responsible for the shooting of the black youth who was spotted on an Austin street Monday walking naked.
Assistant Police Chief Brian Manly says that there will be an internal investigation into Freeman’s use of deadly force as well as a criminal investigation. He asserts that the victim was unarmed at the time of the incident.
“I don’t see how a young man who is naked and not hurting anybody winds up dead,” NAACP Austin chapter president Nelson Linder told the local Fox affiliate, KTBC-TV.
Dash cam video was only able to cover part of the incident, whereas full audio is available. The officer alleges that he shot Joseph when he began to charge at him, but neighbors and witnesses question why other means of restraint such as the officer’s taser were not used.
