James Talarico
Role at the time: Texas state representative and Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate
Statement summary
James Talarico, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Texas, said in a statement on the Austin shooting of Wilber Rafael Garces Perez that previous incidents have shown that "this agency" cannot be trusted to report all the facts. He called for a full, independent investigation that includes the release of any and all available footage.
“Previous incidents have shown that this agency cannot be trusted to report all the facts We need a full, independent investigation that includes the release of any and all available footage.”
Austin American-Statesman report published the day after the shooting, collecting reactions from elected officials and advocacy groups. Its section on Talarico quotes his call for an independent investigation.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Why we used this label
The case asks whether DHS should lead the investigation of the shooting. Talarico said previous incidents have shown that "this agency" cannot be trusted to report all the facts, and that the shooting needs a full, independent investigation with any available footage released. That calls for an investigation independent of the agency involved, so we labeled it Condemned.