Mother of Man Killed in Officer-Involved Shooting Meets with Galveston Police Chief * GPD: Confirms identity of officer involved in fatal shooting after physical altercation * Grieving mom remembers “giving” son * No weapon was found at the scene * Community activist urges calm during investigation Saying she was seeking answers to questions she had related to her son’s fatal shooting by a Galveston police officer, Paula Martin, joined by some community activists, met with Police Chief Douglas Balli on Wednesday (5/20/2026). Randy Martin, 47, was shot and killed Monday during a traffic stop in which a physical struggle ensued before shots were fired. Police have maintained that Martin started the physical altercation and, at one point, reached for the officer's gun. In a meeting brokered by and attended by community activists CJ Beard, Shon Arthur, and Robert Hockey, Mrs. Martin met with Balli, Assistant Chief Andre Mitchell, and Galveston Municipal Police Association President Anthony Rogers. Martin said she felt the meeting went well. “My message is (police authorities) be clear and honest,” she said. “I didn’t get any feeling that they were sugar coating anything or trying to hide anything from me. “That was also a good thing, and they listened.” “I gave my part about what I thought, and let the chief handle his part of the deal to do the work he has to do. And I can carry on and prepare for putting my son to rest.” Martin said she had read many comments and posts on social media and asked Balli what was and what wasn’t true. “I want to say that everything you hear (or read) is not always true,” she said. “I’m not bitter,” she said. “I’m not a bitter person. Neither was Randy.” Balli said he expressed condolences to Martin and pledged to be “as honest and transparent as possible.” “I thought this was important for the family to hear directly from me that we never want something like this to happen,” the chief said. “And I promised to give them any information I could.” For his part, Rogers said he wanted to counter “false” claims made that the officer dragged Randy Martin out of his car “like a ragdoll” and that officers did render medical aid “immediately.” Many social media and news reports made claims that Rogers said were “completely untrue” and would be confirmed by dash cam video. She acknowledged her son spent 26 years of a 30-year prison sentence for a 1994 homicide. By her and her friends’ accounts, the life Randy Martin lived before going to prison wasn’t the same after he was released four years ago on parole. “He was giving, very kind, and did a lot of work in the community in reference to toy drives and Christmas stuff and getting shoes for people in need,” she said. Meanwhile, Officer Joseph Nino, a narcotics and K-9 officer for the Galveston Police Department, was confirmed by Balli as the officer involved in the shooting. The 11-year police veteran is on paid administrative leave during the investigation by the Texas Rangers and the Galveston County District Attorney’s Office. Nino, who joined the Galveston PD in 2023, was recently named Officer of the Year at the 50 Club of Galveston County for his actions in January in finding a 12-year-old girl who a serial child predator had kidnapped. This was also his third officer-involved shooting since joining the Galveston PD. In October, a Manvel man who led police on a high-speed chase from Hitchcock was shot and killed after pointing a gun at officers at the end of the chase at Seawolf Park. Nino was cleared in that shooting after Rangers, and the DA’s office determined the incident was “suicide by cop.” The officer was also involved in a 2024 shooting of a domestic assault suspect who reportedly pointed a gun at officers. Nino shot and wounded the gunman. The independent investigations into the shooting also cleared Nino of any wrongdoing. All that is confirmed by the Galveston police about the latest officer-involved shooting is that Nino and Martin were involved in a physical altercation before the shooting happened. Sources outside of GPD and familiar with the Texas Rangers and DA investigation said that Martin resisted Nino’s attempts to search him and take him into custody. That led to the physical altercation in which Martin reportedly had Nino in a headlock and tried to grab the officer’s gun, based on accounts from people who have reviewed the body camera video. Neither the police department, the Rangers, nor the DA has released dash or body camera video, citing the ongoing investigation. During the tussle, Nino told officials that he felt an object within one of Martin’s pockets that he said he believed was a weapon. Nino had already called for backup when the altercation began. Officers didn’t arrive until after the shooting. Investigators did not find a gun at the scene. The traffic stop in the 1700 block of 55th Street came after Martin, who had a female passenger in the car with him, was seen leaving an area known for drug transactions. Arthur, the head of the Old Central Carver Park Community Association, urged the community to remain calm and let the investigation run its course. He also urged people to respect Paula Martin’s time to mourn as she plans for a funeral.

Posted by i45NOW TJ Aulds at 2026-05-21 03:50:51 UTC