[EXCLUSIVE VIDEO] Thomas J. Henry Releases Shocking New Evidence in Gilbert Flores Shooting Case
BREAKING NEWS: The Daily Mail publishes article regarding the new evidence in Gilbert Flores case. Click Here to View: “EXCLUSIVE: Police who ‘executed’ unarmed father with his hands up ‘lied under oath’ that he was just six feet from them – and FBI footage proves it, claims lawyer”
SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS (July 5, 2016) New evidence released in a lawsuit pending in the death of Gilbert Flores, a San Antonio man whose shooting by Sheriff’s deputies garnered national attention last year after home video showed Flores with both hands raised in surrender prior to being shot by the officers, highlights misrepresentations regarding the incident by the Sheriff’s Department, attorneys for the plaintiffs in the case allege.
An FBI-enhanced video of the shooting, a schematic diagram of the crime scene, and sworn statements by the deputies involved were made public recently as part of a lawsuit filed by Flores family against the deputies and the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office. According to attorneys representing the Flores family, the new evidence highlights glaring inconsistencies between deputy’s statements (which were made before any videos were made public) and the FBI-enhanced video of the shooting and investigator’s schematic diagram of the crime scene.
“The factual statements made by officers Vasquez and Sanchez in these written statements are in direct conflict with the video tape of the shooting and are in crucial portions complete fabrications,” attorneys Thomas J. Henry and Robert Wilson wrote in a motion seeking a copy of the investigative file and documents related to grand jury proceedings.
The officers’ sworn statements made directly after the shooting, which were made public after a filing in the lawsuit, claim that in the moments leading up to the shooting, Flores was 6-8 feet away from them and was advancing toward them.
“The male started advancing toward Deputy Sanchez and me- I would say the male was about six to eight feet away from us.” -Deputy Greg Vasquez’s Sworn Statement.
A schematic diagram created by Bexar County investigators evidence paints a different picture, clearly indicating the officers were each standing more than 20 feet away from Flores at the time of the shooting.
Additionally, the FBI enhanced video shows Flores clearly holding his hands up in surrender and standing stationary, approximately 20 feet from the officers.
Even after seeing the FBI-enhanced video and schematic diagram, the Sheriff’s Department has come forward to support their officer’s account of the shooting death of Flores. According to an article published Wednesday in the San Antonio Express News, Sheriff’s spokesman James Keith said enhanced video footage of Flores, which hasn’t been made public, showed Flores “moving forward” before he was shot.
“Video verifies Flores did in fact move toward the deputies while holding a large knife.” – Sheriff’s spokesman James Keith said in an email statement released by San Antonio Express News.
This is in direct contradiction with statements made by Bexar County investigators, who determined that video footage of the shooting showed Flores wasn’t moving and suggested that the officers had left this fact out of their initial report.
“The video footage clearly illustrates the decedent apparently standing still with his hands in the air just prior to being shot,” noted a page from an investigator’s report that was made public in the lawsuit. “In his statement, Deputy Vasquez did not mention the decedent had stopped and raised his hands.”
MORE FROM THE INVESTIGATIVE REPORT:
Thomas J. Henry, the lead attorney representing the widow and estate of Gilbert Flores, made the following statement regarding the new evidence.
“We are providing this transparent evidence so the people of Bexar County can see for themselves the misrepresentations made by the Sheriff’s Department regarding the circumstances of Gilbert Flores’ untimely death,” Thomas J. Henry stated.
