Joshua Blair Samuelson

Deadly force

31 year old Joshua was distraught over his separation from his wife. On Sunday, Dec 11, 2011 family members say Samuelson was threatening to hurt himself and had text pictures of himself with a shotgun to a friend. The family requested assistance. Travis County Deputies arrived to find Josh barricaded in his home. He was the only person inside the home. The Sheriff's Office made conflicting claims. They claimed that he came out of the home with a weapon and refused orders to put it down. Sheriff's Office said Josh fired a shot into the air near a law enforcement helicopter. Another claim was that Josh was shot when he raised his gun toward 2 deputies. However, witnesses say Josh never raised the gun, aimed the gun at anyone or anything, or fired the gun. Almost 2 years later Rodriguez was cleared by a Travis County grand jury.