The Chronicle‘s Mike Glenn has a sanitized account of an HPD press conference earlier today:
A group of ministers appealed for people to remain calm Thursday in the wake of the fatal shooting of an armed southeast Houston man who held police at bay for more than an hour on Tuesday.
During an impromptu press conference in the parking lot at St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church, 8309 Brandon, the Rev. C.E. Smith urged residents to withhold judgment until the investigation into the death of Reginald Sumbler, 21, is concluded.
“We want the neighborhood to be quiet. Don’t get excited (and) don’t get nervous,” said Smith, of the Houston Ministers Against Crime. “When we find out what’s going on after this goes through the proper channels, then we’ll talk.”
Well, isn’t that nice?
KRIV-26’s Isiah Carey notes that the press conference actually turned into something of a fiasco for HPD. Carey also reproduces the HPD press alert about the press conference, which indicates that it was not quite as “impromptu” as the Chronicle reporter indicated.
Advantage: Insite!
UPDATE: Carey has updated his post with a response from HPD someone, who doesn’t like his characterization of the press conference. Frankly, it sounds like HPD overreached with its press alert. But that’s just our view from afar. We link, you decide!
ADDITIONAL REPORTING: KPRC-2.
