Grand jury acquits officer in fatal shooting

Beaumont— A Jefferson County grand jury has acquitted two police officers in the fatal shooting of a woman who shot at them, according to information provided to KFDM//Fox 4 News by grand jury attorney Cory Kneeland.

Kneeland says the case was presented to the grand jury on Wednesday and the panel did not charge the officers, meaning no charges were filed

Beaumont police say the two officers shot the woman after shooting at them during a search and narcotics warrant in the South Park area on Friday, August 30. One officer suffered a minor injury when his ballistic shield was hit, and two police vehicles were also hit by the suspect's shots.

Victoria Meza, 43, the suspect named in the search warrant, died at the scene. A nearby school was briefly locked out.

It was the third fatal shooting involving a BPD officer since July 15 and the second in less than a week.

Beaumont Police Department drug detectives, with assistance from the Beaumont Police SWAT Team, conducted the search and arrest warrant at a residence in the 700 block of Palm Street near Kenneth at approximately 9:45 a.m. on August 30.

According to police, Old Meza shot at officers and hit the ballistic shield an officer was wearing, injuring him. Two police vehicles were also hit by the suspect's shots. Police said officers in Meza fired their service weapons in response to the immediate threat.

Beaumont EMS arrived at the scene and pronounced Meza dead. The injured officer was treated for a minor injury.

Two dogs were also shot. One died and Animal Services took away the injured dog.

Meza had a long criminal record. The photo in this story, courtesy of JCSO, is from a previous arrest.

Beaumont police, the Internal Affairs Division, the Jefferson County District Attorney's Office and the Texas Rangers are investigating the shooting.

“The Beaumont Police Department remains committed to transparency and accountability and will ensure a thorough investigation is conducted,” BPD said.

A neighbor who did not want to be identified spoke to KFDM's Mya Caleb after the shooting and said crime is not uncommon in the neighborhood, but what happened Friday is still shocking.

BPD has served a number of narcotics warrants to get drugs off the streets.

Police are deploying the SWAT team and other resources to ensure the safety of officers and residents while BPD executes search warrants.

The nearby Pietzsch MacArthur Pre-K – 8th Grade Center was under a secure lockout at the time, but it was lifted shortly before 11 a.m. when the Beaumont Police Department SWAT commander told BISD police that the area was safe said BISD's Jackie Simien.

This was the third officer-involved shooting since July 15, when 68-year-old Charles Patrick Carroll was killed in an officer-involved shooting in the Oaks Historic District in Old Town.

It started when police responded to a welfare check call involving a possibly suicidal man in the 2300 block of Ashley Avenue near 7th Street.

When officers arrived in the area, they encountered a man with a gun. Officers shot and killed Carroll. A grand jury acquitted the officers in the case.

According to police, on Saturday, August 24, Manuel Arteaga had a chainsaw and pounced on his nephew and officers as they were on scene to investigate a disturbance on Harriot Street.

Two officers shot Arteaga. The officers are on paid administrative leave, which is standard procedure in such a case. A grand jury fired the officers and ruled the shooting was justified.