DALLAS — The photos of Genevive Dawes are now more than three years old. Her family doesn’t want her memory to fade.
Daryl Washington represents the 21-year-old’s family in a civil suit against former Dallas Police Officer Christopher Hess.
“Will Genevive have at least the opportunity to have some justice with what was done to her,” Washington said Thursday.
Hess faces a criminal trial next week for aggravated assault by a public servant.
Body camera video shows Hess and other officers arrive for a stolen car call at an east Dallas apartment parking lot in the early morning hours of Jan. 18, 2017.
Dawes was in the drivers seat when she backed into a DPD patrol car, and then pulled forward and hit a fence. Body camera video from officers on scene then showed the vehicle she was driving, slowly back out of the parking spot.
“We feel that the video is extremely clear,” Washington said.
The video shows Hess yell out a command at the vehicle before firing his service weapon 13 times.
Dawes died at the scene a man in the passenger seat survived.
Now a Dallas County jury will decide whether this use of deadly force was justified.
Toby Shook is a criminal defense attorney not associated with this case. He says attorneys at trial will likely point to the other DPD officer, Jason Kimpel, who fired his weapon once but was not indicted.
Kimpel remains an officer.
“If one officer can use deadly force, the defense is going to argue why can’t the other officer,” Shook said. “The individuals in the car don’t obey the commands.”
Answers to those questions carry high stakes. Hess, could face up to 99 years, or life in prison, if convicted.
Jurors will hear opening statements on Tuesday.
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