Harris County (TX) Grand juries clear more than a dozen officers in shootings of Civilians

From [HERE] Since January, Harris County grand juries have cleared more than a dozen law enforcement officers who shot civilians on and off duty, including seven fatally.

Most of the incidents happened last year. The list includes two separate shootings involving officers in their homes who killed burglars and the 2011 case of the out-of-control shooter at Houston's Tranquillity Park subdued by a pair of lawmen. Grand jurors also declined to indict a former Harris County's Sheriff Office detention officer who fatally shot a man while off duty in 2008.

Houston Police Department Lt. Donald Hamilton was cleared in February for shooting at three burglars who forced their way into his Harris County residence last June. The gunfire hit two, killing one.

Grand jurors in April cleared HPD officer Lisa Scharf in the August fatal shooting of a burglar who tried to break into her Spring home.

Jailer fired in 2009

In March, former Harris County civilian jailer Quenton Charlot was cleared in an October 2008 shooting on West Loop North near Katy Freeway. According to police, Charlot's girlfriend and another woman working at a strip club asked him to follow them home because of a disagreement with patron Agustin Paca. After trailing both cars, Paca blocked an exit ramp with his truck. When Charlot got out of his vehicle, Paca backed up. That's when Charlot fired at the truck multiple times, striking Paca, 26, in the head. Charlot, now 29, had a concealed handgun license for the weapon. He was fired from the sheriff's office in November 2009 after an internal investigation.

Suspects also were killed in several other incidents.

In February, a grand jury cleared HPD rookie A.W. Linton for his role in the November 2010 fatal shooting of Arushary London Goodwill as he struggled on the ground with another officer. The 26-year-old was approached by authorities while engaged in a drug deal, police said. Goodwill fired a revolver at an officer who ended up wrestling with him for the gun. Later, police said, Goodwill pointed the gun at Linton - who fired at Goodwill's head.

HPD officer C.E. Hightower was working an off-duty job at a Houston nightclub last July when a group of men started fighting at a nearby gas station. After a man refused to stop stabbing another, Hightower fired several shots, killing the assailant. The stabbed man also died. Hightower was cleared in March.

Grand jurors in March also declined to indict Harris County Sheriff's Deputy M. Murphy in the August shootings of two men - one fatally - who were suspects in at least two armed robberies of taquerias near Ella and West Mount Houston that day. After a brief car chase, Murphy discharged his weapon. Thomas Boone died at the scene. Scott Alan Webb, 40, was reindicted last month on one count of aggravated assault against a public servant and remains in the Harris County jail.

4 deputies cleared

Harris County deputies N. Parojcic, S. Leslie, J. Thomas and P. Bruce, who were cleared in April, opened fire on a fugitive who tried to run them down after being pulled over last August along Texas 6 at West Road. The man died.

Grand juries declined to indict several others in non-fatal shootings.

HPD special operations bike patrol officers H. Lam and A. Cantos were cleared in April for firing their weapons to stop gunman Joshua Twohig, who was pointing and shooting a rifle last November near the Occupy Houston protest. In January, the 22-year-old was declared mentally incompetent to stand trial.

HPD rookie R.J. Kamperman was detaining Nelson Daniel Ramos last September when his relative, Crescencio Ramos, intentionally drove a truck into Kamperman's cruiser, police said. At that point, Crescencio Ramos charged the officer with one hand behind his back and that's when Kamperman shot several times. The officer was cleared in January.

Crescencio Ramos, 55, pleaded guilty to felony criminal mischief and was sentenced in December to six months in the county jail. Nelson Ramos, 25, pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a weapon and felony cocaine possession, resulting in a two-year state prison sentence.

HPD narcotics officer J.C. Oliver was cleared in March for a July 2011 shooting that killed a dog and grazed Clarence Branford Jr. during the drug raid of a northeast Houston home. Both Branford, 58, and Willie Washington, 32, received deferred adjudication after pleading guilty to cocaine possession.

Parking lot shooting

Off-duty South Houston police Sgt. Enrique Guzman IV was cleared in April. He shot Jerome Barrera Jr., who police said had fired his pistol during a disturbance in the parking lot of the South Houston Funeral Home last December. Barrera, 26, remains in jail charged with being a felon in possession of a weapon and two counts of aggravated assault against a public servant.

HPD officer L. Ingle was cleared in May after shooting Deandre Bryant in the chest during a struggle. The January incident began with a traffic stop, then a foot chase. Bryant, 29, remains in the Harris County jail on evading arrest and assault of a public servant charges.