Houston Officer Charged with Murder Over Deadly Drug Raid

A former Houston police officer has been charged with murder and is among additional officers who have been indicted as part of an ongoing investigation into a Houston Police Department narcotics unit following a deadly 2019 drug raid, prosecutors announced Monday.

In all, a dozen officers tied to the narcotics unit have been indicted after their work came under scrutiny following the January 2019 drug raid in which Dennis Tuttle, 59, and his wife, Rhogena Nicholas, 58, were killed.

Officer Felipe Gallegos was indicted Monday for murder in Tuttle's death. If convicted, he faces up to life in prison, CBS reports.

"The consequences of corruption are two innocent ordinary people were killed in their homes, four police officers were shot, one of them paralyzed and now all of them will face Harris County jurors who will decide their fate," said Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg.

Five other officers were indicted Monday for their roles in an alleged scheme to steal overtime payments as part of their work with the narcotics squad.

Two former members of the unit—Gerald Goines and Steven Bryant—had previously been charged in state and federal court in the case, including two counts of felony murder filed in state court against Goines. Another former officer, Lt. Robert Gonzales, was indicted last year.

Prosecutors allege their investigation discovered that the indicted officers were part of a unit that falsified documentation about drug payments to confidential informants, routinely used false information to get search warrants, and lied in police reports.