Video Details Bryan Police Shooting

Bryan, Texas

Back in May, we featured a story from Bryan, Texas, involving a shooting incident between police officer William “Bill” Cross and Johnnie Walton Harris, Jr. In that incident, an innocent bystander was also hit by a stray bullet. The family of Johnnie Harris and others in the community questioned the use of force.

One month later, a grand jury declined indicting Cross.

The 14-year veteran resigned from the Bryan Police Department on July 18 -- less than 24 hours before Chief Eric Buske was to make public the findings of an internal investigation into the shooting.

His resignation, because of civil service statues voted into use by Bryan residents in 1979, effectively sealed the results of that internal inquiry.

The patrol car video has now been released, following an open records request, providing more insight to the timeline of the shooting incident.

The Timeline (The Bryan Eagle)

• Cross was on patrol just after 10 a.m. May 6 when he responded to a call of a suspicious person near the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. Street and Texas Avenue.

• As can be seen and heard on the video, Cross approaches 20-year-old Harris and begins basic questioning, including asking why he is in the area.

• The discussion ends about 20 seconds later and a scuffle between Harris and Cross begins.

• The day of the shooting and throughout the inquiry, police said Cross opened fire after Harris reached for his firearm.(Not visible from the in-car video)

• At one point, Cross said to Harris, "I'll shoot you," and Harris responded by pulling his jacket open, making a wide target of his chest before sprinting across the street.

• Harris' mother, Janice Walton, and grandmother, Betty Sims, pulled up behind the patrol car right after the struggle began.

• The chase that lasts about 40 seconds, ends after Cross fires seven rounds, hitting Harris and 18-year-old Juan Garcia, a construction worker who was in the area and hit by a stray bullet.

The video does capture Cross running after Harris with his firearm in the ready position and a sliver of the start of the shooting, but Harris and the construction worker are not visible.

One second before firing, Harris' mother can be heard saying, "Y'all don't have to shoot him, sir," as her son runs to the officer's patrol car.

Former Bryan Police Officer Bill Cross

District Attorney Bill Turner said his office will respect the decision of the grand jury and has no plans to again present the case to a different panel.