By Brianna Hollis, KXAN:
The family of 21-year-old Jackson Lieber, who was shot and killed by a Liberty Hill police officer last week, has hired an attorney as they call for more transparency in the investigation.
“We’re talking about a 21-year-old young man who was valedictorian of his high school class and never really been in trouble,” said Robert Ranco, the attorney representing Lieber’s family.
The Texas Department of Public Safety said Lieber got into a crash on Ranch Road 1869, wandered onto private property, and got in a fight with the people who live there. Troopers said Lieber then got into a fight with the Liberty Hill Police Officer who responded, but have not said if Lieber had a weapon on him.
“It’s not known at this time,” said Sgt. Deon Cockrell with DPS. “I do know there was a small altercation – or some sort of altercation – between the subject and the officer.”
The Liberty Hill Police Department said the officer who shot Lieber – Esteban Gomez-Sanchez – was placed on administrative leave, per department protocol. He joined Liberty Hill in December 2020.
Since the night the shooting happened, we have been asking the Liberty Hill about body camera policy, as well as whether a deadly police shooting like this happened in the city before. The chief did not answered those specific questions.
“What could have been the imminent threat posed by Jackson that would have justified the use of deadly force against him at that time?” said Ranco. “We haven’t gotten any meaningful information from anyone involved in the situation.”
DPS said Tuesday it does not have an update on the investigation. Texas Rangers and the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office have taken over the case.