A federal jury will soon decide whether the City of Houston and one of its police officers should be held responsible for the death of an elderly man who was struck and killed by a patrol car the day after Christmas in 2021.
Charles Payne, 75, died while driving home from church on Dec. 26, 2021. His family has spent more than three years fighting for accountability. On Monday, the highly unusual civil trial over his death came to a close, and jurors are expected to begin deliberations on Tuesday.
The central question in the case is whether Payne’s death was caused by Houston Police Department Officer Christopher Cabrera, who was traveling roughly 70 miles per hour in a 35-mph zone when his patrol vehicle collided with Payne’s car — an impact captured on surveillance video…