HOUSTON – An unusual interactive demonstration is being offered to grand jurors hearing cases involving the use of deadly force in Houston.
For the past 10 years, the district attorney's office has let grand jurors use a shooting simulator — like ones used to train police officers — during their orientation.
The simulator projects on a screen various scenarios — including a confrontation with a carjacker — where grand jurors have to decide whether to fire in self-defense.
The district attorney's office calls the shooting simulator an educational tool that helps grand jurors better understand deadly force.
But critics argue that it puts grand jurors in a pro-law enforcement mindset. One Houston defense attorney recently unsuccessfully challenged the simulator's use, calling it mind manipulation.
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