Police in Texas Kill Naked Black Teen

By Jon Herskovitz, Reuters

09 February 16

police officer in Texas fatally shot a naked man on Monday who charged at officers and had been reported acting aggressively toward people in a neighborhood of Austin, police said.

The officer who shot the black male of about 18 years of age is a veteran of more than 10 years on the Austin force.

The race of the officer was not given but the killing comes as protesters in San Antonio are questioning if race was at play in the fatal shooting by police in the city to the southwest of Austin last week of an unarmed black man.

Austin police said they received multiple phone calls of the man acting suspiciously and aggressively. Officers arrived on the scene and confronted the man, a police official said.

"This subject did not comply with the commands that the officer was giving and instead charged at the officer," Brian Manley, chief of staff for the Austin Police Department, told reporters.

"The subject was struck by the gunfire," he said adding he died later at an area hospital.

Part of the incident was recorded on police video camera. The shooting was not on camera but there is audio available, he said.

Manley did not say if the man had a weapon. He added officers did not deploy Tasers on the suspect.

Several incidents nationwide in the past several months where unarmed minorities have been fatally shot by police have raised questions about the role of race in U.S. policing and spawned numerous protests.