A Bexar County grand jury has issued a no bill, or a decision not to pursue criminal charges, against former University of the Incarnate Word police officer Christopher Carter in the December 2013 fatal shooting of honors student Robert Cameron Redus outside his off-campus apartment. The case has generated considerable controversy over Carter’s decision to give pursuit to Redus through Alamo Heights not knowing he was a UIW student, and his decision to resort to deadly force rather than allow Redus to enter his apartment or await backup to assist in an arrest.
Redus was shot five times by Carter in the early morning hours of Dec. 6 in a confrontation outside the student’s apartment after Carter followed him there because he said Redus appeared under the influence while driving recklessly north on Broadway. Tests later showed Redus was inebriated and had traces of marijuana in his system. Carter said he shot Redus after the student resisted efforts to subdue him and engaged the officer in a struggle for his baton and, after a struggle that took place over 13 minutes, charged Carter with an upraised fist.
The Redus family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against UIW and Carter and has repeatedly challenged the officer’s version of events. The Rivard Report also has published numerous stories focusing on the official autopsy report and an audio tape of the incident that contradict Carter’s version of events.
Brent Perry, lead attorney for the Redus family, released a statement Tuesday afternoon on the family’s behalf expressing their “disbelief and outrage at Bexar County District Attorney Nico LaHood’s failure to return any indictment” of Carter.
“Cases against law enforcement officers are never easy for a District Attorney. But the fact is Officer Carter shot an unarmed student who posed no physical threat to him. None. It is textbook manslaughter, if not murder, to use deadly force against someone the officer knows is unarmed. An officer is never justified in using deadly force when there is no probable cause to believe the suspect is dangerous,” stated Perry. “Even if District Attorney LaHood were not guaranteed a victory in the Courtroom, we expected him to indict and try an officer who broke the law in using deadly force.”
According to Perry, LaHood called him and the Redus family on Tuesday to share the grand jury’s decision.
Despite the no bill for Carter, Perry stated he is “confident that a jury in the family’s lawsuit will one day provide justice for Cameron that District Attorney LaHood failed to achieve.”
“All the evidence was presented to the grand jury,” Bexar County District Attorney Nico LaHood said in an interview. “Our role was to assist the grand jury in deciphering that evidence and then they came to their decision. The grand jury process is secretive, so I’m limited about what I can say. I can’t talk about how long it took to present the case or what witnesses we presented. That’s tough for me because I’m a transparent guy.”
Courthouse sources predicted Carter would not be indicted by the grand jury and said there was considerable pressure on LaHood to close the case without subjecting Carter, and indirectly, UIW, to a criminal trial. LaHood said in a later call to the Rivard Report Tuesday evening that he was not pressured in making his evaluation of the evidence and his office’s presentation of the case to the grand jury.
The Rivard Report published An Open letter to District Attorney Nico LaHood on Sunday, calling for release of the audio tape of the incident and a brief rear vehicle video tape taken as Carter pursued Redus through Alamo Heights to his apartment. LaHood said he read the open letter on Monday, but was not free to discuss the evidence. Much of that evidence remains unavailable to the media and the public more than 15 months after the incident.
“We appreciate the work of all involved in this investigation and believe today’s decision affirms that Cpl. Carter was acting in accordance with his role as a licensed Texas Peace Officer,” UIW Chancellor Dr. Denise Doyle said in a prepared statement released by the university Tuesday afternoon. “The grand jury, in arriving at their decision, clearly gave full consideration to the District Attorney’s investigation materials, most of which are confidential. Regardless, the tragic circumstances of the loss of the life of Cameron Redus have affected countless lives. A family has lost their son and a peace officer must live with the decision he was compelled to make. The University continues to extend prayers to all involved in this tragedy. We respect the judicial process and will continue to watch it unfold.”
The Rivard Report will publish additional details as they become available.
*Featured/top image: Administrative building at the University of the Incarnate Word. Photo by Iris Dimmick.
This story was originally published on Tuesday, March 24, 2015.
Related Stories:
Read more about Cameron Redus’ life, death, and family’s lawsuit here.
An Open Letter to District Attorney Nico LaHood
Redus Family: Recording of Shooting ‘Discredits’ UIW’s Story
Judge Rejects UIW’s ‘Governmental Unit’ Status Claim
Ugh. What’s the next possible step? A civil suit by Redus’ family, if they so choose, against UIW, joining Carter? Has UIW or Carter ever apologized directly to the Redus family? Very disappointing outcome.
The Redus family’s lawsuit is currently pending in state court (going through pre-trial motions). Read more here: https://therivardreport.com/redus-family-recording-of-shooting-discredits-uiws-story/
Could it be that the evidence has not been released to the public because it might incriminate some others besides Carter? What did courthouse sources know about LaHood’s decision that we don’t? I’m glad I transferred to OLLU for my degree after a year at UIW, but I regret having voted for that …so and so.
Sickening.
Well well well let’s see how the drunk driver attorney does on his next challenge. This challenge… Fail!!
They behave however they like, regardless of the spirit or letter of the law. Meanwhile the rest of us are subject to summary execution, for literally any crime, as long as the officer rubs his lamp and says the magic words: “I feared for my life”
This sickens me. I’m embarrassed to call myself a UIW graduate. The school bureaucrats have done a huge injustice to the Redus family, and to all the students, alumni and faculty. One of the school’s core values is truth — I have a hard time wrapping my head around that.
You mean the grand jury didn’t succumb to pressure?
I’m stunned, shocked & majorly disappointed. I cannot even begin to imagine the Redus family’s feelings–one heartbreak after another.
Agnese and Doyle are pitiful examples of third class administrators at a second rate college. I am deeply ashamed of being Catholic thanks to them. They and the entire Board of Trustees should resign or be fired and let the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word start running UIW like a real Catholic institution instead of a Mafia-like operation that it has become. Agnese and Doyle are lower than pond scum.
Justice will come, not everyone will get to see it but these people always implode on their house of cards.
The civil case against UIW can now proceed. The looming criminal case was most likely holding up the civil case proceedings, as they “defendants” in the cases would not agree to any depositions knowing that a criminal proceeding would ensue. To be deposed in a civil suit would most likely incriminate in a criminal suit…as the depositions from the civil are fair game in a criminal suit. Soo0000, in order to get the case moving forward you have to forego one of them. Concurrent lawsuits (criminal and civil) are a non-starter, as you can all see from the sequence of events in this case. The civil case will continue. UIW will have to defend itself and its employee, Officer Carter. This will be the REAL CASE. Recall the OJ criminal suit and then the following civil suit. In this case of Redus, its the reverse in terms of sequence.
This quote here: ““We appreciate the work of all involved in this investigation and believe today’s decision affirms that Cpl. Carter was acting in accordance with his role as a licensed Texas Peace Officer,” UIW Chancellor Dr. Denise Doyle said …” is a total crock.
The grand jury decision does not affirm any such thing. She is a dolt.
There are two sides to every story and then there’s the truth. The truth is very unfortunate for Cameron, his family and the officer involved…?
Shameful
This reminds me of Ferguson where a certain group of people with an obvious agenda tried to force a pre-conceived result that didn’t comport with the forensic evidence. Hands up don’t shoot was a lie that so many people so badly wanted to be true. How do we know the same thing didn’t happen here?
so they can release the audio that they’ve been hiding from the public now?
this is not ok
You can rest assured that I will NEVER pull over for a college rent a cop.
That’s disgusting. Thanks for posting this. I’ve wondered now and then abt this story. Also, I’m not familiar with the Rivard Report but good on them for being dogged in wanting to share the evidence from the case.
🙁
It isn’t that the cop was innocent it was that the grand jury didn’t feel like there was enough evidence. (They also might not have understood the evidence that was available)
TRAGIC. I’ve been following this from the very beginning. Why am I NOT surprised???
Absolutely disgraceful! The UIW Police force is inept, arrogant and totally useless when issues arise, but they love to pretend otherwise. I worked there for 10 years, I saw them in action.