A Harris County grand jury on Thursday indicted Harris County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Garrett Hardin on a first-degree felony charge of murder, stemming from the July 2022 fatal shooting of Roderick Brooks.

It is the policy of the Harris County District Attorney’s Office to present all officer-involved shootings to a grand jury to determine whether probable cause exists to support criminal charges. Harris County grand juries are composed of 12 randomly selected county residents who hear all available evidence in a case, including witnesses.

If nine or more grand jurors agree that probable cause exists, they issue a “true bill,” or indictment. 

This process ensures that all such cases are subject to community review at the grand jury and, if necessary, trial level.

Now that an indictment has been handed down by the grand jury, the charges against Sgt. Hardin will proceed through the criminal court process like any other case.

If convicted, he faces a sentence ranging from 5 years to 99 years or life in prison.

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