Ex-Temple officer not guilty in shooting death of Michael Dean

BELTON, Texas (KWTX) - A Bell County jury on Tuesday found former Temple Police Department officer Carmen DeCruz not guilty in the death of Michael Dean.

DeCruz was on trial for second degree manslaughter in the fatal shooting of the 28-year-old Dean, an unarmed Black man, during a traffic stop on Dec. 2, 2019.

Earlier in the day, the prosecution asked jurors to consider the lesser charge of criminally negligent homicide. In the end, the jury found DeCruz not guilty on all charges.

After the verdict was announced, a relative of Dean shouted, “this is why we don’t trust the system! An innocent man was murdered!” Dean’s entire family then walked out of the courtroom and told local reporters they were not ready to speak to the media.

Patrick Arryn, a friend of Dean’s, delivered brief remarks outside the courtroom after the verdict was announced. “I am disgusted. I am hurt. I could have been Michael Dean. Anyone could have been Michael Dean,” said Arryn, “I will probably never trust another Temple police officer, again, in my life.”

Police said Dean was shot and killed following a car chase after DeCruz attempted to pull him over for speeding. According to the arrest affidavit, when Dean did stop, DeCruz approached the car with his gun drawn. When DeCruz reached in to grab the car’s keys, he pulled the trigger, killing Dean, the document states.

A series of recordings played during the trial, however, revealed DeCruz later claimed Dean may have reached for his gun.

The series of interviews between an investigator and DeCruz were recorded the night of Dean’s death. Notably, DeCruz mentions he’s unsure of how his gun discharged the fatal round. After DeCruz was given a chance to watch his body camera footage, the officer changed his statement to claim it seemed as if Dean reached for the weapon.

A member of the defense told KWTX that DeCruz has no intention of resuming his career in law enforcement. The former officer, the defense attorney said, is now planning his defense against a civil lawsuit expected to be filed by Dean’s family.

Lead Defense Attorney Robert McCabe said he never doubted his client would be exonerated and believes DeCruz will emerge victorious in a civil trial. McCabe also said he was surprised it even took the jury several hours to acquit.

“We’ve been fighting for years for Carmen’s freedom in this case. We knew this was going to come. We’re shocked it even took two hours to get to this point. We’ve been dealing with lies, and nothing but fiction from the Bell County District Attorney’s Office for years,” said McCabe.