Family of man killed by Liberty Hill police officer file lawsuit, claim son was unarmed and restrained when shot
LIBERTY HILL, Texas (KXAN) — The family of Jackson Lieber, 21, are suing a Liberty Hill police officer that shot at and killed their son, who they allege was already restrained at the time of the shooting and posed no threat.
Lieber was shot on January 18 by LHPD officer Esteban Gomez Sanchez. The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) at the time said Lieber got into a crash on Ranch Road 1869 in Liberty Hill.
According to DPS, Lieber wandered onto private property and got into a fight with residents there. Later, DPS said, Lieber got into a fight with Sanchez, before the latter fired the fatal shots.
KXAN obtained the federal lawsuit from Lieber's parents against Sanchez, filed on Feb. 15.
In it, they say their son hit a mailbox and possibly got out of his vehicle to find help then encountered people living on the property. An argument ensued between Lieber and residents for "unknown reasons," and the residents subdued and restrained Lieber. The lawsuit also claims that Lieber was unarmed at the time.
It then goes on to say that Williamson County Sheriff's deputies and LHPD then arrived at the scene and that Sanchez fired two shots at Lieber.
KXAN spoke with Erin Lieber, Jackson's mother, after a vigil in his memory Saturday night. She said she wishes to learn what happened in her son's final moments.
“It’s a really painful time and we miss him. We just want to know he’s alright and what happened. That’s all," Erin said.
The family's attorney has filed an open records request for bodycam footage from the night of Lieber's death.
KXAN has reached out to Liberty Hill police about this lawsuit, but has not yet received a response.