Mother of Slain Student: "There's No Denying the Malice"
It's not easy for Valerie Redus to be in the place where her son Cameron was shot and killed by a University of the Incarnate Word police officer.
Five months ago, the 23-year-old was within walking distance of his own apartment off campus when he was stopped for suspicion of drunk driving.
The situation escalated to the point where Cpl. Christopher Carter used deadly force.
"When we come to San Antonio, we usually pass by the street," Redus said. "And I look, and I think, gosh, it happened right there."
Cameron Redus was shot five times. Notably, at a downward angle through the face, and once through the back.
Cpl. Carter claims Redus became combative, ignoring 56 commands to stop resisting arrest.
An autopsy report indicates Redus was intoxicated, and had a trace of marijuana in his system.
All the more reason his mother doubts her son was that much of a threat.
"I'm really angry," she said. "Those downward angles, they say it all. There's no denying, there's no denying the malice."
The Redus family filed a civil lawsuit against Cpl. Carter and the University of the Incarnate Word for the wrongful death of their son.
It states the officer lacked adequate training and that the area was out of his jurisdiction since the shooting happened off-campus.
The officer remains on leave and the university defended its position, saying in a statement: "Our initial review supports our belief that a court of law is the appropriate venue for experts to testify about the events that ended in the death of Cameron Redus."
Meanwhile, prosecutors are still examining the criminal investigation into the officer's actions.
READ: Catholic college police officer kills student after struggle, university says
Rescuers Expect More Bodies in Landslide
A handful of people were miraculously pulled from the wreckage in Washington right after a mountain of mud rolled over two towns there Saturday. But no one has been found alive since, and the grim toll rises by the day.
At least 16 have been confirmed dead. And on Wednesday, rescuers will work to salvage another eight bodies they believe they have located under rubble of the landslide that covers about a square mile.
At least 176 people are unaccounted for. But officials have stressed that some names of those missing have been duplicated, so there is hope the actual number may be smaller.
Up to 25 States Declare Energy Emergencies
Concerned about supplying his customers with the propane they need in order to stay warm in this bitter cold snap, Jerry Dauparas of Ashland Propane, feels caught in the middle.
"I've been doing this for, it's the family business," he says. "They trust us to take care of them. Sure, I'm getting 'em gas, but how are they going to afford to pay for this?"
His company is struggling to get enough supply to meet his daily demands, but as prices continue to go up, he knows many of his customers can't afford it, CNN's George Howell reports.
Weather is only part of the reason for the shortage. Last year's corn crop is partly to blame. The robust fall meant producers needed more propane to fuel heaters to dry the crop.
As a result, prices have all but doubled.
More than two dozen states have issued emergency declarations to ease restrictions on propane drivers to get more out of it on the road this winter.
Industry leaders are looking for more solutions, but with winter in full effect, Dauparas knows the dynamics of supply and demand don't make that much of a difference when the people he knows are just trying to keep their homes warm.
Catholic College Police Officer Kills Student After Off-Campus Traffic Stop
The campus police officer who shot Robert Cameron Redus said the 23-year-old student got out of his truck after a traffic stop, approached the officer and got into the struggle which claimed Redus' life.
Redus' friends at the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, Texas, say that's not the person they knew.
They knew a student who made the dean's list at the Catholic college and had been co-valedictorian of a Christian high school back home in Baytown, Texas. They knew a fun-loving campus television news anchor who was "the sweetest, kindest, gentlest person," as friend Annie Jones described him to CNN affiliate WOAI-TV.
Sarah Davis even attended a news conference at the Alamo Heights police station looking for information.
"The story just really doesn't make sense to any of us," she told CNN affiliate WOAI. " And I think we're mostly just angry and want answers."
The shooting took place Friday in an off-campus parking lot in the town of Alamo Heights, which neighbors San Antonio.
Redus was speeding and driving erratically, said Alamo Heights police Lt. Cindy Pruitt.
Incarnate Word campus police officers are permitted to use police powers off-campus, she said.
When the officer pursued Redus in his marked cruiser, the student pulled into an apartment complex.
A resident of the complex, 22-year-old Mohammad Haidarasl, told the San Antonio Express-News that Redus was his upstairs neighbor.
It was 2 a.m., and Haidarasl was on his apartment sofa.
He told the paper he heard a voice he believes to have been the officer's saying, "Stop resisting, stop resisting."
The newspaper quoted Haidrasl as saying he thought he heard a struggle and "then the cop said, 'I'm going to shoot.'"
A male voice replied, "'Oh, you're gonna shoot me?' like sarcastic almost," Haidarasl said.
Less than a minute later, he said, he heard shots.
Alamo Heights police acknowledged the officer fired several shots. But they would not discuss other details of the alleged struggle, citing the ongoing investigation.
CNN is not naming the officer because he has not been charged.
Redus' family released a statement to CNN affiliate KENS-TV saying, "We are understandably devastated by the death of our dear son Cameron and we ask for your prayers as we deal with our tragic loss. We trust that God is faithful and will see us through this most difficult time."
University President Lou Agnese said in a statement released to WOAI, "Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the student and officer involved in this incident."
Hundreds of people, including relatives of Redus, gathered at the university's convocation center Saturday for a vigil. Students brought a slideshow of Redus in happy poses.
"It makes me feel better that we've got a lot of support for Cameron," classmate Albert Salinas said outside the event in an interview withCNN affiliate KSAT-TV.
But they left with no better idea of what happened to their friend.
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