TMPA, HPOU, HCDO and Texas State FOP Demand Action by the District Attorney in the Killing of Sgt. Kaila Sullivan
Austin, Texas — Today, TMPA leadership, HPOU (FOP Lodge 110), and HCDO (FOP Lodge 39), and Texas State FOP, representing over 40,000 officers including the Nassau Bay Police Department, come together to formally and loudly condemn the handling of Sgt. Kaila Sullivan's killer, Tavores Henderson.
The lengthy time it took to file capital murder charges against Henderson by the District Attorney and the fact that he has been given an option for bail are an insult to every member of law enforcement and the good citizens we are charged with protecting.
Henderson has multiple violent arrests spanning multiple counties, including arrests for weapons charges and domestic violence. He is no stranger to the criminal justice system and now stands accused of killing Sgt. Sullivan and attempting to flee before being apprehended.
“For the judge to allow any sort of bond, especially one this low, is imbecilic. He is an accused cop killer already out on multiple bonds, who went on the run after he murdered Sgt. Sullivan. The decision to even consider giving him a bond is beyond illogical and idiotic,” said Joe Gamaldi, President of HPOU and Vice-President of National FOP.
David Cuevas, President of HCDO, went on to say “The criminal justice system only works when all people, including members of the criminal justice system itself, have faith in its processes and those in charge of making decisions. These series of decisions strike deep at the heart of our shared faith in our prosecution and judicial arms of that system. Texans, especially those in law enforcement, deserve better.”
Finally, Kevin Lawrence, the Executive Director of TMPA added, “What this judge has done is unconscionable – it is not only an affront to Sgt. Sullivan’s family, it is a slap in the face to every law enforcement officer who is out there today trying to keep our communities safe. The good, decent, law-abiding citizens of Harris County need to be alarmed. If this pattern is not reversed, Houston is going to become Baltimore or Chicago or Washington D.C.”
TMPA, HPOU, and HCDO demand action by the Harris County District Attorney and vow to pursue this issue for as long as it takes in whatever form necessary to see justice for Sgt. Sullivan and the community in which she served.
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