Lubbock police release statement on fatal shooting of Chad Read

LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) - After requesting the supplemental reports, Lubbock police released a statement Wednesday on the fatal shooting of 54-year-old Chad Read.

The shooting happened near 90th Street and Ave. P on Friday just before 4:30 p.m., but information about the shooter has not been released. According to police, this is standard procedure when no charges have been filed. At this time, no charges have been filed in this case, but police say the investigation is ongoing.

The police report was not available to the media until Tuesday morning. It consisted of seven sentences and did not identify the shooter.

“While LPD recognizes there is public interest in this case, there are multiple facets of this on-going investigation that dictate what can and cannot be released to the public, per Texas state law,” the department said in a statement.

READ MORE HERE: Minimal information revealed in police report for South Lubbock fatal shooting

The supplemental reports are not available to the public in the online police report system and have not been released by police. However, the supplemental reports are never made public unless they’re included with a warrant for an arrest. Police say it is to “protect the integrity of each and every investigation”.

Read the full statement issued by the department below:

The Lubbock Police Department would like to address the concerns of the public regarding case 21-43709, which is currently being investigated by the Metropolitan Special Crimes Unit.

Lubbock Police Officers were called to the 2100 block of 90th Street on Friday, November 5th at 4:20 p.m. for reports of shots fired.

Upon arrival, officers found 54-year-old Chad Read deceased on the scene.

Through the initial course of the investigation, it appears there was a verbal altercation between Read and another male related to a domestic incident that turned physical. Shortly after, shots were fired.

No arrests have been made and the investigation is on-going.

While LPD recognizes there is public interest in this case, there are multiple facets of this on-going investigation that dictate what can and cannot be released to the public, per Texas state law.

Pursuant to Chapter 552 of the Texas Government Code, also known as the Public Information Act, suspect information cannot be released unless there is a direct threat to the public. As stated in the initial news release, there was no ongoing threat to the public.

Regarding the concern surrounding LPD’s report writing process, per department policy, the initial responding officer’s responsibilities dictate the officer “Complete an initial, concise Crime Report, including the basic facts of the incident and the required elements of the crime, then document detailed and evidentiary information in a Supplement Report.”

All original reports that do not require further review before releasing are accessible to the public in our online reporting system once they have gone through the department’s records process. With this particular case, the report was available online once it made it through the records process.

Supplemental reports are not and have never been available to the public, unless they are included in an arrest warrant. The reason for that policy is to protect the integrity of each and every investigation, not to withhold information from the public.

The Lubbock Police Department prides itself on its relationship with the Lubbock community and strives each and every day to be an agency of transparency, no matter who is, or is not connected to an investigation.

We ask for the public’s patience as our investigators continue to work this case, just as it would any other.

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