Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia Responds to the Firing of Four Houston Police Officers Over Deadly Shooting of Nicolas Chavez

Houston, TX – Today, Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia (TX-29) issued the following statement in response to the firing of four Houston police officers over the deadly shooting of Nicolas Chavez in April of this year:

"Five months ago, the Houston region was shaken to its core by the fatal shooting of Nicholas Chavez, who was shot more than 30 times by several police officers during a confrontation in Denver Harbor. I know today is a difficult day for all of us, especially for the Nicolas Chavez family, the Houston Police Department, and our city. The footage from that day is difficult to watch. It has made us question what the Houston Police Department can do differently to deescalate situations and avoid excessive force when at all possible."

"And unfortunately, I agree with Mayor Sylvester Turner and Police Chief Art Acevedo in their decision to fire the four officers in this case. In the final seconds of this encounter, the question is whether or not Nicolas Chavez was an imminent threat to any of the officers or the general public. And, in this case, it appears there was no imminent threat. He should have lived to receive the help that he needed that day."

"The City of Houston has 5300 police officers, and the vast majority of them do an excellent job in keeping our community safe. I thank them for their service, but holding officers accountable for wrongdoing does not take away from this. Accountability will only make our police department stronger and better stewards of our community, and this is a goal we should all be in support of."

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Congresswoman Sylvia R. Garcia was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in November 2018, becoming the first Latina ever to represent the Texas 29th Congressional District. She serves on the House Judiciary and Financial Services Committees.