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11/03/2005 10:51 AM

Rocha's lawyer wants new investigation

By: News 8 Austin Staff

The family of an 18-year-old man shot by an Austin Police Department officer wants a new investigation into his death.

Daniel Rocha was shot and killed by Officer Julie Schroeder after a traffic stop in June.

An expert hired by the Police Department contradicts testimony from Schroeder about what happened the night Rocha was killed, Rocha family attorney Bobby Taylor said.

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The expert studied documents related to the shooting, and a video re-enactment that Schroeder and Sgt. Dan Doyle participated in the next day.

"I'm relying on the officer's own actions, in that re-enactment, and on the testimony of the department's own expert. I've passed this information on to city leaders and to Ashton Cumberbatch [Austin Police Monitor] and I hope they will follow it up and call for a new independent investigation," Taylor said.

The police expert wrote a letter concluding the person who shot Daniel Rocha was standing in front of him at the time.

Schroeder told a grand jury she was behind Rocha when she pulled the trigger. The grand jury decided against any criminal charges for Officer Schroeder.