Double shooting suspect’s family asks: Did he have to die?

by Jeremy Desel / 11 News

Posted on February 5, 2010 at 11:58 PM

The family of a man who deputies fatally shot Thursday after a short chase and shooting that left two people dead says their relative did not have to die.

Jose De La Rosa was shot by sheriff's deputies after they said he pulled a gun on them.

"He was a good kid. Whatever happened in his life he is still a human being,” said Sarah Garcia as she stood where her cousin was shot. “How would people feel to have their son, or their nephew lying on the floor like that?"

For several minutes deputies are seen on video walking around the scene of the shooting with no one making a move to help De La Rosa.

"They laid him here and didn't even help him," Garcia said.

The Harris County Sheriff's Office says deputies did exactly what they should have.

"It is their policy, procedure, and training to immediately call for trained medical personnel to assist in the event of a medical emergency. That was the case last night, and that's exactly what they did," said spokeswoman Christina Garza.

EMS crews from Harris County Emergency Service District No. 1, arrived at the scene eight minutes later.

Also on the video, two paramedics are seen getting out of the ambulance, gathering up some gear, and talking to deputies before they appear to address De La Rosa.

"They are supposed to help us. [The paramedics are] just standing around,” Garcia said through tears. “If he was alive, then why weren't they helping him? Why?"

Dispatch records show the crew spent 11 minutes on the scene before leaving for Hermann Hospital.

Three-and-a-half minutes of that wait was recorded on the video. During that time, one paramedic attaches a heart monitor to De La Rosa, and the monitor shows a pulse.

Mark Smith, the public information officer for the ESD said he didn’t see anything wrong after 11 News showed him the video.

"I don't think there is a whole lot we could have seen different on this call," he said. "I can't say that our medics acted inappropriately. Their first priority when they arrive, especially a scene like this, is to ensure their own safety.”

However, in the video no one appeared to be questioning the safety of the scene. Paramedics maintained that the safety issue was real, pointing to the fact that a second gun was found on De La Rosa inside the ambulance when they were cutting off his clothes.

De La Rosa had already been handcuffed.

After he was loaded in the ambulance, two minutes later, De La Rosa’s heart stopped, then CPR was started and continued until he was pronounced dead at Hermann Hospital.

"It doesn't matter who the victim is. We don't care -- our job is to get in and try and save them if we can, " Smith said.

Deputies and the EMS crews said De La Rosa showed no sign of life. They said he was not breathing, but no one checked until the heart monitor was used by the paramedics and showed a faint pulse.

At that point CPR could hurt, so the only medical treatment available, the crew said, was to incubate De La Rosa, and they chose to do that in the ambulance.

http://www.khou.com/news/Family-asks-Did-he-have-to-die-83691047.html