Lawsuit Possible in Police Shooting of Teen

LONGVIEW — The attorney for Joshua Thomas, 17, who was shot and injured by Longview police Tuesday, says his client is considering filing a lawsuit against the police department. According to KETK and the Longview News-Journal, attorney Daryll Bennett said there are no criminal charges filed against Thomas. “At this point, we’re trying to figure out why one out of three officers would fire on (Thomas) six times when he hadn’t done anything to them and why the cops were hiding around the corner,” Bennett said. “We don’t even know where their vehicles were at that time.”

Officers Dustin Ashworth, John Delgado, and Armando Juarezortega are on administrative leave. Officer Delgado has been identified as the one who fired his gun, Thomas. Thomas was said to have been hit several times. He was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. The officers were on the scene of a suspicious activity call in the 500 block of Mobberly Avenue just before 3:45 Tuesday morning when they encountered several men in a store parking lot. When officers approached them, Thomas reportedly produced what appeared to be a handgun from his waistband. It was then when officer Delgado fired his duty weapon.

According to police, Thomas’s gun, which is pictured here, turned out to be a Umarex SA9 CO2 powered pistol, a fake gun that resembles a semi-automatic weapon. The Texas Rangers were contacted and are investigating the shooting. The police department is conducting its own internal investigation into whether department policies and procedures were followed in this case.