BEAUMONT — Concerned pastors in the community and local NAACP branches will hold a press conference regarding the legal handling of the shooting death of Shalala Fletcher.

The press conference is scheduled for 3 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 23 in front of the Jefferson County Courthouse in Beaumont.

Shalala Fletcher, 36, of Beaumont was shot by a non-commissioned security officer during an alleged theft of beer by other individuals outside Express Mart on July 2, according to previous reporting.

The security guard had pulled in to the Express Mart in the 2900 block of Jimmy Johnson Boulevard around 5:20 a.m. July 2 and saw two people run out of the business that were being chased by a store clerk, police said. The alleged thieves ran to a car where Fletcher was a passenger.

The security guard, whose name has not been released and did not work at the store, had a gun in his truck. Police said the man tried to disable the vehicle by shooting at the tires when one of the rounds struck the side of the vehicle and struck Fletcher.

The car carrying the alleged thieves drove a short distance to the Community Bank parking lot, 2901 Turtle Creek Drive, where they abandoned the car and the victim.

According to information from organizers the security guard fired 11 bullets into the car where Fletcher was a passenger.

“The shooter in this incident was not arrested and apparently did not give not give a statement of this incident until four days had passed. As of this date, he remains free,” according to the press release. “The investigation is in the hands of the Port Arthur Police Department and the district attorney’s office with findings to be presented to the grand jury of Jefferson County. Will this shooter be investigated pursuant to normal processes and procedures? … Was there a crime of such magnitude that it justified an individual to take a life by firing 11 rounds of bullets into a car?

The press release states that at no point do they support or condone criminal activity. If someone breaks the law, then justice demands prosecution.

“However, for there to be justice, it must apply to all and not some; otherwise there is NO justice,” the letter read. “Well-reasoned and sensible answers to those questions could provide a well-needed level of peace in our community.”