Overview
- An 18-year-old Texas State student, John Gabriel Mendoza Jr., was shot after an attempted traffic stop led a deputy to follow his car into his father’s garage on June 1, and Mendoza later died at a hospital.
- Local surveillance video and dispatch audio from the night captured a single gunshot and a dispatch reference to an "accidental discharge," though officials have released few details about the moments immediately before the shooting.
- Brazoria County Sheriff Bo Stallman announced on Tuesday that Deputy Kevin Tippit was terminated for policy violations tied to the handling and discharge of his firearm and said the administrative decision is separate from any criminal finding.
- The Texas Rangers and the Brazoria County District Attorney’s Office are conducting a joint investigation that will include forensic testing expected to take months and then be forwarded to a grand jury for possible charges.
- The shooting has drawn public protests and statements from Mendoza’s family, who say he was unarmed, and lawyers and community members say they want quicker transparency and accountability as officials complete the probe.