Former HPD Chief Acevedo Told Cops to Turn Off Bodycams After Deadly Raid

The murder trial for a former Houston cop who lied to obtain a warrant for a no-knock raid that killed two people has been underway

Photo by JOSHUA COLEMAN on Unsplash

The case of former narcotics officer Gerald Goines lying to obtain a warrant for a no-knock raid that killed two people is one I have been covering since it happened 5 years ago. That the case is just going to trial now speaks volumes about the protections police get even after being indicted for murder. Harris Country District Attorney Kim Ogg – whose office once tried to bribe me while investigating deaths at the Harris County Jail — is a big reason for the delay.

In 2019, Dennis Tuttle and Rhogena Nichols were killed in what is known as “the Harding Street raid” here in Houston. Police raided their home without announcing their presence and Tuttle and Nichols thought there was a home invasion taking place. As he is legally allowed to do in Texas, Tuttle opened fire to defend their home injuring five of the officers. The police returned fire killing Tuttle, Nichols, and their dog.

In the immediate aftermath of the murders, the former president of the Houston Police Officers’ Union (HPOU) and now vice president of the National Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), held a press conference and blamed police accountability activists for the “targeting” of police. It was an incident highlighting how far pro-police groups will go to provide cover for corrupt cops and how easily the news media, both local and national, will buy what “police say” without question.

"We are sick and tired of having targets on our back. We are sick and tired of having dirtbags trying to take our lives when all we're trying to do is protect this community and protect our families,” said Gamaldi in 2019. “Enough is enough. If you're the ones out there spreading the rhetoric that police officers are the enemy, well just know we've all got your number now. We're going to be keeping track of all of y'all, and we're going to make sure to hold you accountable every time you stir the pot on our police officers." 

It wouldn’t be long before the truth about the raid started to come out. Stories about Goines would start popping up on social media about his tactics, how poorly he treated members of the community, and how he was notorious for setting people up to be wrongfully convicted of crimes they did not commit. He was known for lying, planting evidence, and extorting people into becoming informants for him. Goines has even lied under oath in what police call “testilying”.

All of that became the focus of this case when it was revealed that he lied to obtain the warrant by first saying an informant bought heroin from Tuttle. He changed that story to say he bought the drugs himself and we later found out no drugs were bought from the couple at all. When the police raided their home, they found a personal amount of cocaine and marijuana.

On Thursday, Officer Valeriano Rios who took part in the raid was questioned. Prosecutors played Rios’s body camera video in court and it showed former police Chief Art Acevedo telling him to turn his camera off before the video abruptly ends. When Rios was asked about Goines lying to obtain the warrant, he said he would not have participated in the raid had he known.

"Had you known that, would you have agreed to go to Harding Street?" asked prosecutor Keaton Forcht.

"No, sir," said Rios.

"Why not?" asked Forcht.

"I don't involve myself in those kinds of activities," said Rios.

Rios also said he did not know why Acevedo told him to turn his camera off. However, when a bombshell like this comes after five years, one has to question why this hasn’t been mentioned before, especially after the City of Houston spent more than $3 million defending itself and Acevedo from a civil rights lawsuit filed by the families of Tuttle and Nichols.

When Acevedo abruptly left Houston for a chief position in Miami that only lasted a few months, many in the city questioned why and that opened a discussion around several suspicions. The Harding Street raid was the focus of those hunches. Now, as the rumor mill goes in any city, most Houstonians are convinced this revelation about the raid is one reason why he left so suddenly. That he ran from taking responsibility for any part he may have had.

No matter which way you look at it when considering the seemingly nonstop coverups in cases all over the country, this reeks of another attempted coverup. From HPOU president Joe Gamaldi targeting activists with not-so-veiled threats to DA Ogg’s efforts to slow the case and Acevedo’s attempt to manipulate crime scene evidence, this case continues to add up to an attempt at subverting justice and protecting a well-known crooked cop who has done a lot of harm to the fourth largest city in the United States.

Police coverups are common. I’ve reported on several. Some were huge, some smaller. All employ the same tactics. Deceive the public, immediately involve police unions to come out and drive narratives by saying what police can’t say, and using a city’s power to hide the truth. While some families receive financial compensation, lawsuits typically keep information from reaching the public. Information that could be damning to a department and police overall.

To achieve justice, more prosecutions should take place – not just when Black cops do it.

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I’m a freelance writer and journalist for The Antagonist Magazine and Unicorn Riot. Find me on TikTok, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Mastodon, and Threads. To support my work become a paid subscriber or donate on Venmo, PayPal, or CashApp