GALVESTON, Texas — A grand jury Thursday ruled a Galveston police officer was justified in the fatal shooting of a man armed with a 12-inch knife, authorities said.
Lt. Joel Caldwell, a 17-year veteran officer, responded June 6 to the 800 block of Avenue K on a report of a suicide attempt, Galveston County Criminal District Attorney Kurt Sistrunk said in a statement.
Caldwell was among officers trying to check the welfare of Jeffrey Kilton Joyce, 38, who had broken into his girlfriend’s apartment, Sistrunk said. His girlfriend wasn’t home, police said.
While standing at the front door, officers ordered Joyce to drop his weapon, but he approached them from just three to four feet away, Sistrunk said.
"Mr. Joyce then raised the knife above his head in a threatening manner and moved even closer to the officers, as they repeatedly told him to the drop the weapon," Sistrunk said.
Caldwell shot Joyce twice. An ambulance took Joyce to the University of Texas Medical Branch, where he died, Sistrunk said.
The district attorney’s office and the Galveston County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case, as a matter of protocol, Sistrunk said. The case was presented Thursday to a grand jury without charges, and 14 witnesses testified, Sistrunk said.
"At the conclusion of the presentation, the grand jury found that Lt. Caldwell’s actions were justified in response to the threat presented," Sistrunk said. "The investigation is closed."
