KHOU 11 by Ugochi Iloka 9/9/2024
A former Houston police officer reindicted on two murder charges will finally stand trial starting Monday. Former HPD officer Gerald Goines will go before a judge and jury in connection with the deadly Harding Street raid in 2019 that took the lives of two people.
Goines is accused of lying to secure a no-knock warrant that led to the shooting that left two homeowners and their dog dead.
Legal experts said a felony was committed during the 2019 drug raid that led to the shooting that killed Dennis Tuttle and Rhogena Nicholas.
They said officers were acting on a tip that turned out to be invalid, which means the no-knock warrant was allegedly fraudulent. Now Goines is being held responsible for their deaths even though he didn't pull the trigger.
Goines and four other officers were also shot but they survived.
According to the Associated Press, a dozen officers tied to the narcotics squad that carried out the raid, including Goines, were later indicted on various other charges following a corruption probe. A judge in June dismissed charges against some of the officers.
Since the raid, prosecutors have reviewed thousands of cases handled by the narcotics unit.
Goines is also facing federal charges related to the case.
More:
https://www.khou.com/article/news/crime/gerald-goines-harding-street-raid-murder-trial-houston/285-85850d00-5f72-43aa-9bd5-4c37c6c19408
