Officer's shooting raises city immigration questions

Juan Leonardo Quintero, the man accused of killing HPD Officer Rodney Johnson during a traffic stop last week, is scheduled to appear in court today — but Quintero's case may have farther-reaching effects than his own fate as it again brings up discussion of Houston's immigration policy.

First, what we know about the shooting Thursday afternoon: Johnson had pulled Quiintero over for driving 50 mph in a 30 mph zone near Hobby Airport. Because Quintero had no driver's license or other form of ID, Johnson arrested and handcuffed him and put him in the back of his patrol car. Though Johnson had patted Quintero down, he reportedly failed to notice a 9mm handgun hidden in Quintero's waistband; Quintero used the gun to shoot Johnson four times in the head and face. It wasn't Quintero's first run-in with the law: In 1999, he was deported as an illegal immigrant following a charge of indecency with a child, and his criminal record included arrests for DWI, driving with a suspended license and failing to stop and give information after a wreck.

What's raising the immigration question, of course, is the fact that Quintero is a Mexican national. The latest debate over the city's role in controlling immigration has been going on for months, but HPD Chief Harold Hurtt said the police department can't take a more active role. "I would need another 2,500 officers," Hurtt said on Good Morning America, which interviewed him at a conference in Charlotte, N.C. Under current policy, HPD officers may ask people about their immigration status only after they've been arrested for some other reason.

In other news related to Officer Johnson, volunteers raised about $7,600 for his family yesterday afternoon from motorists and the community. Donations to benefit Johnson's family may still be made to the 100 Club Survivor's Fund at the100club.org, by phone at 713.952.0100 or by mail to 1233 West Loop South, Suite 1250, Houston, 77027.