Dallas police have caught one of two suspects who were still at large in the shooting death of a key witness and neighbor of Black PwC associate Botham Jean.
Joshua Brown, a Black 28-year-old man, was shot to death Friday at his Dallas apartment complex 10 days after he testified Sept. 25 that he saw ex-Dallas cop Amber Guyger on the phone in the hallway moments after she shot Jean.
Dallas police have identified Jacquerious Mitchell, 20, Thaddeous Charles Green, 22, and Michael Diaz Mitchell, 32 as suspects in his death.
While police announced Tuesday afternoon that Jacquerious Mitchell was captured, Michael Mitchell was apprehended in Marksville, Louisiana, by U.S. marshals Tuesday night, police reported.
Green’s whereabouts are still unknown.
Assistant Chief Avery Moore said Tuesday the suspects came from Alexandria, Louisiana, to purchase drugs from Brown and that authorities confiscated 12 pounds of marijuana, 143 grams of THC, cartridges and $4,000 from his apartment.
The timing of his death led to accusations of police involvement and several calls for an independent investigation into how he died, including one from Brown’s family through attorney Lee Merritt.
Brown, who was set to testify in a civil case Jean’s family attorney is leading, earlier testified that on the night of Jean’s death he heard what sounded like two people meeting and two gunshots quickly following.
“This family and their representatives have consciously avoided speculating about law enforcement involvement in this tragedy, however, due to the proximity of this murder with the trial of Amber Guyger— rumors abound,” Merritt said.
A jury sentenced Guyger Oct. 2 to 10 years in prison for murdering Black 26-year-old Botham Jean in his own apartment.
“It will be nearly impossible to conduct a reliable investigation in a climate where the investigating agency has been implicated in the murder itself,” Merritt said.
Other Dallas officers were also shown to have participated “in destroying evidence and interfering with the investigation.”
“A cloud of suspicion will rest over this case until steps are taken to ensure the trustworthiness of the process,” Merritt said.
Sherrilyn Ifill, president of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, said in a statement released Sunday that Brown’s death “is deeply alarming and highly suspicious.”
“The circumstances surrounding the murder of Mr. Brown cries out for answers,” Ifill said. “Most importantly, it demands an independent investigation of how and why he was killed.”
