Floyd and his surviving family submitted an application for the pardon in April. The request was made because the arresting officer in Floyd’s case, Gerald Goines, “fabricated the existence of confidential informants to enhance his cases against innocent people,” according to Allison Mathis of the Harris County Public Defender’s Office.
“We mourn the loss of former Houstonian George Floyd and hope that the Texas State Board of Pardons and Paroles’ decision to recommend clemency for a 2004 conviction involving former Houston Police Department Officer Gerald Goines brings comfort to his family,” said Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg in a statement.
Gov. Greg Abbott will make the final decision on Floyd’s clemency, according to Ogg. The governor’s office has been contacted by CNN for comment on whether or not a pardon will be granted.
Floyd was detained by Goines on February 5, 2004, on suspicion of possessing crack cocaine “and that Floyd had delivered the drugs to an unnamed’second suspect’ who had agreed to sell the drugs to the undercover Goines.” According to Goines’ crime report, the’second suspect’ was not detained “in an attempt to further the drug trafficking [sic] in this region.”
“We stand by the initial case,” Goines’ attorney, Nicole DeBorde, told CNN in April. We sympathise with Mr. Floyd’s situation, but that doesn’t change the fact that his previous conviction was valid.”
Goines was implicated in the Harding Street homicides in 2019, according to Ogg, in which he secured a warrant for a “no-knock” raid from a municipal judge under false pretences. The raid resulted in the deaths of two persons and the injuries of five police officers.
According to Ogg, Goines, a 35-year law enforcement veteran, was charged with felony homicide and tampering with a government record.
Goines’ lawyer, DeBorde, informed CNN that her client had pled not guilty to all allegations.
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The Chenab Times News Desk