Eboni Pouncy’s Police Shooting Is Drawing Comparisons To Breonna Taylor’s 2020 Case

Houston is collectively hoping for the recovery of Eboni Pouncy, who was shot by police on Feb. 3 while she was at a friend’s house. Her case is drawing comparisons to Breonna Taylor‘s killing in 2020. In a statement to NewsOne, civil rights attorney Ben Crump said Harris County Sheriff deputies shot Pouncy after she and her friend locked themselves out of the house and broke a window to get back into the house.

Police knocked on the door shortly after the pair reentered the house, Crump said. That’s when “Pouncy retrieved her legally-registered firearm,” thinking there might be a possible intruder, the attorney said.

“Shortly after, officers opened fire and struck Pouncy with five bullets,” Crump added in his press release.

The Harris County Sheriff’s Office also released a statement, saying a neighbor in the same apartment alerted them about a possible break-in. According to police, the caller was not referring to the house of Pouncy’s friend, but another home in the same apartment. After responding to the call, police determined that there was no break-in at the apartment.

A different neighbor then “flagged the deputies down and reported that someone had broken into another nearby apartment,” the sheriff’s office stated.

According to police, officers then noticed a broken window on the home of Pouncy’s friend and knocked on the front door.

“Deputies could see into the apartment through the broken window. One deputy saw a female approaching the door holding a firearm,” the sheriff’s office stated. “Two deputies discharged their duty weapons, striking the adult female. The deputies immediately rendered life-saving efforts requesting emergency medical services.”

Crump said the shooting of Pouncy, who is now recovering from the bullets wounds and mental trauma, is similar to the case of Breonna Taylor.

“It is heartbreaking that this tragedy, reminiscent of the shooting that caused Breonna Taylor’s death, happened at all,” Crump said in a statement to Newsone.

The attorney is demanding for police to release unedited footage from the shooting of Pouncy.

“Our communities deserve to have full faith that law enforcement officers will not shoot us based on their own instinct or fear, but rather will rely on training and learned skills to protect the public and themselves from unnecessary harm,” Crump said.

Taylor was killed in March 2020 when officers from the Louisville Metropolitan Police Department shot her as she was in her home with her boyfriend. Police said they had a warrant to search the house for drugs. However, there were no drugs found.

Paul Grinke, Director of Litigation at Ben Crump Law, told Fox 26 Houston that Pouncy doesn’t plan to file a lawsuit at this time.

“We would like to work together with the sheriff’s department to ensure something like this doesn’t happen again,” Grinke told the news station.

The Harris County Sherrif’s Office said the two deputies involved in the shooting of Pouncy are placed on paid administrative leave.