Everytown, Texas Moms Demand Action Respond to Police Shooting of Jonathan Price

The Texas chapter of Moms Demand Action, part of Everytown for Gun Safety’s grassroots networks, released the following statement after police shot and killed Jonathan Price, a Black man, in Wolfe City. Initial comments from Price’s family and friends, according to Newsweek, indicate that Price was trying to intervene in a domestic violence situation at a gas station when police shot and killed him with his hands raised.

“Jonathan Price should still be alive today,” said Terri Gonzales, a volunteer with the Texas chapter of Moms Demand Action. “Our thoughts are with Jonathan’s family and friends, and we join with them in demanding a thorough, transparent investigation into his killing.” 

Meaningful use of force policies encourage de-escalation, utilize early intervention systems, and ensure that officers who act in a manner that is criminally negligent can be held accountable. Use of force policies can ensure that laws help advance safety and promote trust in the police. 

Research suggests that implementing specific use-of-force policies can save lives. One 2016 study of 91 large police departments found adoption of use-of-force reform policies—exhaustion of other means prior to shooting, bans on chokeholds and strangleholds, use-of-force continuum, de-escalation, duty to intervene, restrictions on shootings at moving vehicles, and warning before shooting—was associated with fewer people killed by police. 

Black people in the United States are nearly three times more likely to be shot and killed by law enforcement than their white counterparts, and data from Mapping Police Violence shows that most people killed by police are killed with guns.