Death by Cop 2022-2024
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Jose Lerma 1 of 8
Gender : Male
Age :
Race : Latino/a/e
Date : 11/08/2023
Location : Highway 57
City : Batesville
County : Zavala
State : Texas
Agency : DPS Highway Patrol
Officer(s) :Unknown
Cause of Death : Vehicle
Event : Third party motorist killed by police chase crash
OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :
Jose Lerma and his wife Isabel were on the road in Batesville, TX when DPS hunted a car full of migrants into their vehicle, killing both Jose and his wife.
Texas DPS Highway patrol saw a “suspicious vehicle” and tried to traffic-stop it. The vehicle did not stop and police escalated a chase that ended when the fleeing vehicle hit another vehicle head-on. A total of eight people were killed including the driver, 5 migrants and 2 third party motorists in the vehicle that was hit head-on.
The Lerma family has a GoFundMe to help their son with burial costs for both parents. The GFM is here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/funeral-services-for-jose-isabel-lerma
