Murder Charge Dismissed Against Former Houston PD Officer Linked To Deadly Harding Street Raid

[TexasTowelie]

Gallegos remains charged with engaging in organized criminal activity, along with 9 former members of HPD narcotics squad 15.


The Harris County District Attorney’s Office announced Tuesday that a murder charge has been dismissed against former Houston Police Officer Felipe Gallegos, who was previously charged with felony murder in the aftermath of the 2019 Harding Street raid.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the DA’s office said the dismissal was the result of misconduct from a former prosecutor who had handled the case. The prosecutor’s behavior “raised concerns about his judgment and resulted in his termination from the office.”

“Out of duty and an abundance of caution, all evidence in the shooting will be re-reviewed,” the statement read.

The evidence will now be presented to a new grand jury in order to determine whether the original felony murder indictment was warranted.

Gallegos joined members of narcotics squad 15 and executed a no-knock search warrant on the home of Dennis Tuttle and Rhogena Nicholas in January 2019. According to police, the couple fired at officers as they entered the home. The raid left the couple dead, while wounding multiple officers — including former officer Gerald Goines, who had led the raid.

Read more: https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/criminal-justice/2021/08/17/406247/murder-charge-dismissed-against-former-officer-linked-to-deadly-harding-street-raid/