Two Dallas police officers fired their weapons into a car driven by 21-year-old Genevive Dawes on January 18. The mother of 2 little girls died a short time after.
“She was a good person. She was not a violent person at all,” said Mary Dawes the victim’s mother.
Dallas police say Dawes and her boyfriend were in a stolen car. When officers arrived on scene Dawes backed up the car and hit a squad car, then drove forward hitting a fence.
Dallas police held a news conference the day of the shooting.
"When it did not give way the suspect reversed the vehicle a second time at which point two uniformed officers discharged their firearms,”said Deputy Chief Tom Castro.
Sources who have seen the officers' body camera footage tell WFAA Dawes was going at a slow speed and question whether officers were in imminent danger.
Sources say one of the officers actually moved his squad car forward and that's why Dawes hit the car the first time.
"Clearly Rebecca the force that was used was extreme it was excessive. It was deadly force,”said the family’s attorney Daryl Washington.
Dawes' mother wants the video released and wants the officers involved Christopher Hess and Jason Kimpel prosecuted. Sources say it was Hess who fired first, killing Genevive Dawes.
"I think he should take responsibility for what he did. Took a mother away from 2 little girls,” said Mary Dawes.
Nowhere in DPD's public statements does the department say the officers used deadly force because they feared for their lives or the lives of other officers.
But officer Hess' attorney, Haakon Donnelly issued a statement saying, "What the officer did was appropriate. Once a grand jury reviews the evidence they will agree the use of force is appropriate."
Dawes' family and attorney say they want an independent investigation because they don't believe DPD can fairly investigate its own.
The officers did give verbal commands for Genevive Dawes to stop but she ignored those demands.
The officers have been on restricted duty since the shooting since mid January. Typically if the department feels the officers did nothing wrong they are back on the streets within a month.
The case has been turned over to the Dallas District Attorney who will take it to a grand jury.