Houston Cop who Shot Dead Unarmed Latino Teenager Getting his Job Back

A Houston Police Department officer fired earlier this year after he shot and killed an unarmed teenager must be reinstated, an arbitrator ruled this week. Officer Richard Kevin Butler, 38, who was fired in February for the shooting of 15-year-old Jose Daniel Vargas Jr., could return to work within a matter of days or weeks, his attorney said today. "This is a guy who's going to go back to work and do a good job," attorney Brett Ligon said. Butler was fired in February by then-acting Police Chief Joe Breshears. But a Harris County grand jury declined to indict Butler for the Oct. 31, 2003, shooting, which happened after the officer tried to stop the teen outside an AMC Studio 30 movie theater in the 2900 block of Dunvale near Westheimer. The teen drove away when the officer tried to confront him, but Butler caught up with the vehicle and pointed his pistol inside the driver's window, police said. When Vargas accelerated, the vehicle's door frame struck the officer's arm and the gun fired one time. Butler has always maintained the shooting was an accident. A lawsuit brought by the teen's family against Butler, the city of Houston and AMC Theaters is pending. [more ] and [more ] Pictured above: Daniel Vargas jr.