Camera Man

The business suit shooter at Occupy Houston recently lost his job: New videosheds light on terrifying incident

Graphic by Tyler Rudick
Joshua Anthony Twohig was shot twice by police officers on Nov. 21 before beingtaken to Ben Taub Hospital, where he remains in stable condition.
Photo by Tyler Rudick

Video footage of the shooting at Tranquility Park has surfaced, as Occupy Houston protestors continue to recover from one of the most unsettling moments of the group's two month-plus occupation.

When 21-year-old Joshua Anthony Twohig stepped into the park Nov. 21, police and occupiers alike were convinced the well-dressed gunman was carrying nothing but a toy . . . until he fired several rounds into the park's fountain.

At that point, David Loeser, who recently became interested in the occupy movement, started filming the incident.

"That is a real gun," Loeser shouted on the video, as several protestors attempted to approach the gunman.

Pacing and smoking a cigarette, Twohig awkwardly waved the gun in the air, pointing it at his head on several occasions. After he shot into the fountain once more, nearby occupiers took cover.

"That is a real gun," Loeser shouted on the video, as several protestors attempted to approach the gunman.

When Twohig refused to drop the weapon as police arrived on the scene, authorities shot the gunman twice below the waist and took him into custody. He remains at Ben Taub Hospital in stable condition under charges of aggravated assault against a public servant.

"It's just totally incredible . . . only person got injured," Loeser told KTRK Ch. 13.

KTRK also reported that, until the shooting, Twohig was living in an apartment complex in north Houston with his wife and 1-year-old child. One neighbor told reporters he had been under a considerable amount of personal stress, having recently lost his job and facing his wife's ongoing recovery from major surgery.

As is customary with incidents when a police officer fires a weapon and causes injury, the case is currently under investigation by the Houston Police Department's Homicide and Internal Affairs Division. It will also be reviewed by the Harris County District Attorney's Office.

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Thanks, Queen Bey

Pop icon Beyoncé donates $100,000 to University of Houston Law School

Photo by Erza Shaw Getty Images

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Pop megastar Beyoncé Knowles-Carter has donated $100,000 to the University of Houston Law Center Criminal Justice Clinic through her BeyGOOD Foundation. The gift will allow the clinic to hire fill-time faculty to head it, benefiting the students who study there.

“I am delighted that the BeyGOOD Foundation has made this very generous gift to the UH Law Center,” said Leonard Baynes, dean of the UH Law Center. “Not only will this funding help establish a full-time criminal justice clinic that provides pro bono legal services in our community, but it will also supercharge our already excellent criminal law and justice programming.”

The clinic is one of nine at UHLC. It helps students learn to navigate the criminal justice system, especially on behalf of clients that are underserved by skilled attorneys. People of color are affected disproportionately by a lack of good, ethical representation.

Beyoncé, the most decorated artist in Grammy history and easily the biggest musical star native to Houston, has a long history of advocating for criminal justice reform. She was a staunch supporter of the police reform following the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, asking law enforcement to “stop killing us” in a web post. In 2020, she penned an open letter to the Kentucky attorney general asking for justice in the death of Breonna Taylor.

Through her BeyGOOD Foundation, established in 2013, Beyoncé has focused mostly on expanding the prospects of Black-owned business and offering education opportunities to students. Forwarding the cause of legal representation in Texas while also helping out marginalized communities compliments her other philanthropic work.

“At UH Law, we envision a legal profession where ‘everyone has the opportunity to prosper,’ as BeyGOOD envisions, and we will achieve this vision by providing access to strong and effective legal representation in criminal proceedings,” Baynes said. “And together, through this gift, the BeyGOOD Foundation and UHLC will shepherd the next generation of criminal justice attorneys in the city of Houston, the state of Texas and the nation.”