Family of San Antonio teen killed by police will move forward with civil rights lawsuit, attorney says
Michael Karlis
Civil rights attorney Lee Merritt (second from left) prepares to deliver a press statement during a visit to San Antonio last summer.
High-profile civil rights attorney Lee Merritt said he’s moving forward with a federal civil rights lawsuit against the San Antonio police officer accused of fatally shooting unarmed 13-year-old Andre “AJ” Hernandez last summer.
Merritt confirmed those plans Friday in an emailed statement to the Current after a Bexar County grand jury decided not to indict SAPD Officer Stephen Ramos for the shooting.
In the statement, Merritt said his office has officially petitioned the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division to prosecute Ramos at the federal level.
“The use of deadly force on the unarmed minor did not only violate departmental policy and best practices in policing across the country — but it broke the law,” Merritt added. “Bexar County prosecutors have repeatedly sent the message to police officers in San Antonio that they are above the law.”
On Thursday, a grand jury opted to no-bill Ramos, meaning it determined there wasn’t sufficient evidence to indict the SAPD officer for fatally shooting Hernandez.
Hernandez was driving a stolen vehicle when Ramos fatally shot him on June 3, 2022. Police initially said Hernandez T-boned a police cruiser potentially putting another officer’s life at risk, but Merritt has said body-cam footage contradicts that claim.
Thursday marks the second time a grand jury has opted not to indict Ramos for shooting a civilian. In March 2021, the officer fatally shot John Peña Montez, saying the suspect lunged at him with a knife. Montez’s family disputed that claim.
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