SBI probe on Jesus Huerta's death in a Durham police car is almost ready

DURHAM

The attorney general's office says they are just waiting on the final autopsy report to come back from the medical examiner. SBI agents recently submitted their findings in the case to the district attorney's office.

Police say an officer placed Huerta in the back of a patrol car November 19 after he was arrested on a second-degree trespassing charge. As the car pulled into the police department parking lot around 2:30 a.m., the officer reported hearing a loud bang and he jumped out of the moving car, which then rolled into parked vehicles.

Huerta was found dead of a gunshot wound in the back of the cruiser. Police have said gunshot residue was found in gloves Huerta was wearing and no residue was found on the officer's hands. It has also said the gun did not belong to a police officer.

Where it came from remains unclear. Durham Police Department policy calls for prisoners to be searched before they're transported. Huerta's family has called for more information to be released, but the Durham Police Department has refused so far citing the ongoing investigation by the SBI.

The Huerta case has triggered multiple protests in Durham, two have which have turned violent as protestors clashed with police.

Weeks ago, the teen's family marched right up to the gates of the FBI field office in Cary to hand deliver thousands of petition signatures, which called for a top to bottom investigation of the Durham Police Department.

An FBI spokesperson told ABC11 that no decision has been made on whether to investigate.

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