Family of inmate killed by corrections officer, community organizations hold protest in Hayes County

HAYS COUNTY, Texas – The family of Hayes County inmate Joshua Wright, who was shot and killed by a corrections officer in December, demonstrated Sunday in San Marcos, protesting and calling for transparency in the investigation into his death.

Community organizations Mano Amiga, Hayes County Jail Lawyers, The Caldwell/Hays Examiner, Fierce Madres, and the Austin Justice Coalition joined the family outside the office of Hayes County Sheriff Gary Cutler to demand the release of the camera footage and the immediate removal of the correctional officer. from office and Cutler’s resignation.

“He was a good person. He was a good father,” Wright’s daughter Sirina Wright said.

On December 12, Wright was shot and killed by a Hayes County Correctional Officer who was guarding him while he received undisclosed medical care at Kyle Assension Seton Hospital.

The Hayes County Sheriff’s Office reports that Wright, in an attempt to escape, attacked an officer and ran through the emergency room. According to the HCSO, a corrections officer fired a firearm and wounded Wright. Despite rescue efforts by medical personnel, Wright died from his injuries.

“Come on, release the video. Prove us wrong if we lie, prove us wrong if we don’t make sense, but what you’re saying and what you’re giving us right now doesn’t make any sense.” This was reported by Wright’s sister Adrian Wright.

The corrections officer who shot Wright was placed on administrative leave by the county, but has recently returned to work pending the outcome of the investigation. The protesters said they want the corrections officer to be suspended. They also said that Sheriff Cutler should resign.

“The way they betrayed him when everything fell apart like he wasn’t human,” Wright’s best friend Isaiah Galloway said.

“Orange overalls don’t make you an animal or mean your life isn’t important,” said Wright family friend Natalie Freeman.

On January 2, the family initially requested body camera and surveillance footage of the night Wright was killed. A spokesman for the Hayes County Sheriff’s Office told FOX 7 Austin that there is no timetable for the release of the video yet.

A few days later, Hayes County issued a statement saying that the Texas Rangers had taken over the investigation and requested that the body camera video, as well as all other information related to the shooting investigation, not be released until their investigation was completed. .

The county also said that Ascension Seton has raised concerns about the “inadvertent disclosure” of privileged third-party medical information through videotapes, meaning that when bodycam footage is released, it will need to be reviewed and possibly edited because of it.

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“Josh’s mom said that when she heard that her son was incarcerated, she was relieved, she felt that her son would be safe and that would give him a chance to get back on his feet. Instead, she experienced death throes when numerous Texas Rangers showed up at her door and informed her that her son had been killed,” Freeman said.

Wright was in the Hayes County Jail for unauthorized use of a vehicle, bail, absenteeism, reckless driving, criminal mischief, and evading arrest and detention.

“Josh struggled with inner demons that kept him down, but he got back up. He wasn’t perfect, but no one standing here is perfect,” Freeman said.