Family of Rhogena Nicholas files lawsuit on 2-year anniversary of Harding Street Raid

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Two years after Dennis Tuttle and Rhogena Nicholas were killed during a botched Houston police raid into their home, their families have filed civil lawsuits.

On the afternoon of Jan. 28, 2019, Dennis Tuttle and Rhogena Nicholas were shot to death in their home at 7815 Harding Street in southeast Houston after police initiated a no-knock raid involving a drug warrant.

That warrant turned out to be based on the word of an informant who never actually went to the house.

“All law enforcement are not bad guys,” said Nicholas’ sister John, who drove to Houston from his home in Louisiana to mark the two year anniversary of the raid. “Probably 90 some percent are the good guys. To protect everyone. But looks like here, we had some bad apples.”

Last year, the case agent of the botched raid, former Houston police Officer Gerald Goines, was indicted on two counts of murder. His former partner, Steven Bryant, was indicted on tampering. Since then, 10 additional officers have been indicted on a variety of charges. Just this week, a grand jury indicted Officer Felipe Gallegos on murder, and several other officers on time card tampering charges.

“So many facts that have been concealed and continue to be concealed by the city of Houston,” said Nicholas family attorney Mike Doyle.

Doyle filed the lawsuit Thursday along with attorney Charles Borque, “They refuse to give to the basic facts about what happened before, during, and probably most important, after the attack by this squad on the home of Regina Nicholas, and her husband.”

While commenting on the event, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner steered clear of the specifics of the lawsuit, but defended Houston police officers in general.

“I’m not going to try to draw any conclusions. At this point, you know, but what I will say is that practices, policies, and procedures, the city of Houston, have been in place,” said Turner. “So, allow the process to run this course. It’s going to run its course. And then at the end of the day, we’ll see where the facts land.”

In July of 2020, HPD released its report of the investigation behind the botched raid. State lawmakers blasted the Houston Police Department for investigating its own, claiming that audit was only a small part of a bigger problem.

While the investigation is still ongoing, representatives believe this was an entire rogue division’s wrongdoing.