Lawyer: #JessieHernandez Family Has ‘No Confidence’ in Denver Police or DA

Feb 28, 2015
9:55 AM

In response to the Jessica Hérnandez autopsy released yesterday by the Denver medical examiner, Hérnandez family attorney Qusair Mohamedbhai shared the following statement with the media last night:

The Denver Office of the Medical Examiner has classified the death of Jessica Hérnandez as a homicide. The report shows that Jessie was shot from the driver’s side of the car and not from close range. These facts undermine the Denver Police Department’s claim that Jessie was driving at the officers as they shot her.

Jessie was clinging to her life after being suffering four gunshot wounds, including one through the heart. She was then dragged out of the car, dropped onto the ground, and handcuffed. The abrasions to her face confirm this inhumane treatment.

The Hernandez family again calls for an independent federal investigation of Jessie’s death and the Denver Police Department’s policies that led to it. There is now objective evidence contradicting the Denver Police Department’s claims that Jessie was to blame for her own death. The Denver District Attorney has not prosecuted a police shooting case since 1992. The family has no confidence that the Denver Police Department or District Attorney will conduct any sort of fair or meaningful investigation.

jessie

Jessica Hernández

 

The following is from The Denver Post:

The report does not address how many shots each officer fired or where they were standing at the time.

Two bullet wounds entered her left chest and traveled from left to right. A third entered the left side of her pelvis and traveled to her right thigh, according to the report released Friday by the Denver medical examiner’s office.

The autopsy also revealed Hernandez had a blood-alcohol content of 0.047, slightly more than half the legal limit for an adult, and also tested positive for cannabinoids.