Justin Howell, a 20-year-old Black college student at Texas State University suffered a fractured skull and brain damage after being shot with a beanbag round by police.
What We Know:
- Howell was at a protest Sunday in Austin, Texas when he was hit in the head with a beanbag round by the police.
- He is currently sedated and in critical condition at an Austin Hospital.
- A video has surfaced over the internet of the incident and shows police shooting at volunteer paramedics and protestors carrying Howell’s body to safety.
#HisnameisJustinHowell anybody needs extended video to help in anyway, HMU in DM. #NoJusticeNoPeace pic.twitter.com/gAI6TjlTqW
— David Frost (@DavidFr31601156) June 4, 2020
- Howell’s brother released a statement to the Battalion saying, “He has a fractured skull. He has brain damage. It’s unclear whether the officers who shot at the protesters were the same ones who gave them the order to approach. But at minimum, it takes a special kind of incompetence to fire at those who are doing as the police tell them. At minimum, it shows a complete inability to be aware of your surroundings and to manage the situation appropriately.”
- Another 16-year-old boy, Brad Ayala was also shot by police with a beanbag round on Saturday night. His sister, Valerie Sanchez released a statment saying, “He’s conscious and in a lot of pain because he was shot right in the middle of his forehead. The bullet stayed inside of his head for five hours. The front of his head is fractured and dented and he had some bleeding.”
- Police have apologized for the incident and said that Howell was not the intended target.
Howell’s brother was not happy with the repsonse of the police because of the weapons they use against protestors. The beanbag rounds are referred to as “rubber bullets” and are non-lethal options for the police. There have been many objections of whether police should be allowed to use these during protests.
