Was This Black Man 'Executed' by Rogue Bounty Hunters in Houston?
The incident did not involve active-duty police, but still resulted in the shooting death of a Black man under the pretense of law enforcement.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/was-walter-hutchins-of-houston-wrongly-killed-by-bounter-hunters
The night before Walter Hutchins was killed, he surprised his mother with a late-night Uber ride to a family dinner that included his newborn son. He was smiling and said, I surprised you, didnt I, Marilyn Lewis, the 31-year-olds mother, said at a press conference on Tuesday. That was the last time I saw my son. I hugged him and kissed him and said goodbye to him at the restaurant.
Less than 24 hours later, the new father was inside his car outside a barbershop on Liberty Road when at least two men who later told police they were bounty hunters approached him. Details of the Feb. 23 incident are still under investigation, but
according to Houston police, the men were hired by a local bail bond company to execute a warrant, and fatally shot Hutchins, a Black man.
But while police have cited bounty hunters insisting Hutchins opened fire first, the family claims video of the incident shows plain-clothed men ambushing him before opening fire. The incident has quickly drawn attention to the concept of bounty huntersessentially paid peace officerswho have often flown under the radar, even as killer cops have faced harsh, sustained scrutiny across the country.
They murdered my son, Lewis said in a press conference outside of the Harris County Civil Courthouse on Wednesday, flanked by family members wearing matching powder blue t-shirts with a photo of the 31-year-old and the words #JusticeForWalterHutchins.
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