On a quiet street in Gulfport, Mississippi, the life of Leonard Parker Jr., a 53-year-old Black U.S. Army veteran, came to an end on February 1, 2020. He was a father of six from Covington, Georgia. That night, a Gulfport police officer, Jason Cuevas, was responding to a 911 call about a domestic disturbance at a house party Parker was leaving.
Accounts of what transpired in those critical moments differ significantly.
Officer Cuevas stated that he saw Parker's pickup truck accelerating toward him, prompting him to open fire. He fired his 9mm Glock three times, with one bullet striking Parker in the head. However, multiple witnesses contradicted the officer's version of events, telling investigators that Parker was driving very slowly and that his truck had actually stopped before the officer discharged his weapon. One witness, who was a passenger in Parker's truck, was not asked to testify before the grand jury. The officer did not have his body camera turned on at the time of the shooting.
Following the shooting, a Harrison County grand jury declined to indict Officer Cuevas, finding no evidence of criminal conduct on his part. The Gulfport Police Department's official statement was brief, stating only that an officer responding to a disturbance call discharged his weapon when a vehicle drove toward him, killing the driver. In response to the grand jury's decision, Leonard Parker Jr.'s family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city of Gulfport and the officers involved, alleging the use of excessive force. The lawsuit claims that Officer Cuevas did not identify himself as law enforcement and that no lights or sirens were activated to signal the police presence. It further contends that Parker was not attempting to flee or harm the officer.
