Miriam Thomas, a University of the Incarnate Word senior studying communications, lost a friend and mentor on Dec. 6, 2013 when Robert Cameron Redus was fatally shot five times by now-former UIW police officer Christopher Carter in a controversial of-campus traffic stop that occurred on private property where the honors student and senior lived.
“We actually met in a cultural anthropology class,” Thomas said. “Such a charming guy, he was so likable.”
After the recording of the shooting finally was released by the Alamo Heights Police Department late last month under a Freedom of Information Act demand, “a lot of people have been very quick to formulate an opinion about Cameron and about this case, relying on what UIW has to say. I would advise them to look at the other perspective before jumping to the conclusion that he was drunk and that he got what he deserved.”
Read Thomas’ blog entry entitled “Walking in your Footsteps: Life since losing Cameron Redus” here.
Thomas, 21, composed a video about the case to showcase an alternative perspective.
The video, posted on YouTube on March 30, was inspired by her frustration with the UIW administration and further motivated by a class she’s currently taking that requires a video project.
“I’m sure that there’s going to be some backlash,” she said, fully expecting some members of the administration and the general public to take issue with the video, which does not include interviews with UIW faculty, staff, or police officers. She is undeterred “I’m going to stick by my guns and say that I think it was the right thing to do.”
Read more about Cameron Redus’ life, death, and family’s lawsuit here.
*Featured/top image: Screenshot of “Waiting for Justice” by Miriam Thomas.
Related Stories:
Commentary: Remembering Cameron Redus
Recording of Cameron Redus’ Fatal Shooting Released
Grand Jury Clears UIW Cop in Student Slaying
An Open Letter to District Attorney Nico LaHood
Redus Family: Recording of Shooting ‘Discredits’ UIW’s Story
It sounds like the cop was being overly aggressive from the get go, shouting at Cameron, and Cameron was shot for being sarcastic.
The DA controls the grand jury process and obviously the power that be did not want an indictment.
Great screen play for a fantasy…she hates iwu so much she can always leave
Thanks, Iris and Miriam.
Think twice about enrolling in UIW. Can you imagine what would have happened had Cameron shot the cop who attacked him?
I cannot understand how many do not understand what is going on here. The public ignorance here is baffling. Campus policeman confronts student at his (off-campus) apartment at 3am. Commands him to immediately lay on his car hood as policeman straddles him from behind. He never tells this kid why he was being questioned only that he was resisting. Resisting what? It was not until several minutes into the audio that the policeman tells Cameron that he is under arrest. I am sorry folks but this is the United States of America. No one ( not even the police ) has the right to order you to put your hands on a hood and then come up behind you and tell you to stop resisting them without telling why you are being detained in the first place
Thank God for people like Miriam, who have the courage to stand up and look injustice in the eye. The administrators at UIW should be ashamed for the way they have disregarded Cameron’s life. How can they sleep at night? Sickening, disgusting, and criminal.
Excellent video, it’s good to hear the students perspective. Students and their parents have a right to demand a more secure campus and the university has made a myriad of mistakes in hiring, defending Carter and dodging responsibility. Unacceptable.
Miriam,
For the Redus family, loosing a son has been heartbreaking tragedy that few will ever have to experience or endure. Their faith in Jesus gives them hope and peace to deal with this loss.
It’s one thing to loose a son, but it’s another to sit by helpless while his person and character are then denigrated by UIW and their attorneys in order to justify the careless and vengeful actions of officer Carter shooting Cameron to death. How does UIW align the false information they continue to espouse with their faith in Christ which calls them to a biblical standard of truth and justice.
The Redus family is not wealthy, they are not powerful nor well connected politically. They are loving, gracious, forgiving , reserved people who’s faith in Christ is real as you know, but who’s trust in institutions that proclaim truth and justice is being destroyed.
For all of us that are walking this journey with them, what lessons do we learn, what do we tell our children. What do we say to comfort?
Thank you for sharing this video and continuing to seek some level of Justice for Cameron.
Mark Hall
good words
The word is “losing”. Example: ” I was LOSING my patience with my teenage son”. Example: “I am wearing very LOOSE clothing”
Thank you for your video.
From the college website:
Life and Dignity of the Human Person: The Catholic Church proclaims that human life is sacred and that the dignity of the human person is the foundation of a moral vision for society.
From my listening to the recording of the event, it seems very much like a murder to me. Why do there have to be armed guards on campus? No university in Ireland has armed guards. As a mother I feel appalled and heartbroken by the killing of this young man. Is there a murder charge being brought against the officer?
Thank you for being so brave, Miriam and the others who appeared in the video. I feel your pain. The public remains frustrated as well. I will look at UIW forevermore with doubt and disgrace. This is no way to treat a student. What a message they send to thousands of parents, past, current and future who send their young adults off to UIW to gain an education.
I am a uiw graduate and I found the facts in this case disturbing to say the least. I can’t understand why this has been treated so lightly.
Thanks so much, Miriam Thomas, for your deeply moving film and for speaking out.
Many of us have had zero confidence in the poor response of UIW since the beginning of this tragic story and our feelings about the lack of justice and kindness coming from the campus are only getting worse. Remember how Broadway was all torn up for about two years? We all drove erratically on Broadway during that entire time because we had to. The lanes kept changing. This could have been any of us.