HPD Shooting Video Release Scheduled for Today

HOUSTON, TX — Video showing the shooting death of Alva Braziel by two officers from the Houston Police Department will be released today, July 21, at noon.

The release was originally scheduled for yesterday, July 20, but Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner withheld the footage until Braziel's family had a chance to view the video.

Braziel was shot at 12:40 a.m. on July 9. Braziel was allegedly standing in the middle of Cullen near Ward holding a revolver. Two officers patrolling the area spotted Braziel with the pistol.

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Sixty-one Riesner claims that the cops told Braziel to drop the weapon. HPD alleges that instead of complying with the officer's instructions, Braziel pointed the weapon in the air, before loweing it and pointing it at the officer.

The officers then fired multiple rounds into Braziel, who died at the scene. In the days after Braziel's death, a cell phone recording of a gas station surveillance video showing Braziel's death emerged.

The video, which doesn't have any audio and drops at the moment when Braziel is shot, really didn't clear anything up and helped to fan the fires of mistrust.

Many people jumped on the video as proof that Braziel was gunned down in cold blood by racist cops. Some saw Braziel holding his hands up and turning around and interpreted the image to show that Braziel was surrendering when he was shot.

Other people saw the image of a man standing in the middle of a busy road late at night waiving his hands around and spinning in place and thought he might not be in the right state of mind.

Now that a better quality video is scheduled to be released, hopefully we will all get answers.