A Houston mother is demanding answers after she says a campus security guard put his hands around her second grader’s neck at MacGregor Elementary. Rebecca Briscoe says her 8-year-old came home screaming and told her, “I couldn’t breathe,” and the family says they later viewed the school’s surveillance footage with the principal. Houston ISD police have reviewed the incident and referred it to the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, which has so far declined to file criminal charges.
Mother Says Her Son Cried "I Couldn't Breathe"
Briscoe told reporters she heard a shrilling cry as she approached the school and that her son identified the school resource officer as the person who choked him. She and the boy’s father say the surveillance video shows their son sitting on a bench “unprovoked” before a guard walks up and “puts his hand around his neck.” As reported by Click2Houston, Briscoe is calling for criminal charges and is demanding that Houston ISD publicly release the camera footage.
District, Contractor and Prosecutors Respond
HISD told the station that district police investigated the incident and sent their findings to the Harris County District Attorney’s Office. The DA’s office confirmed prosecutors “declined charges at this time” because they determined there was not “enough reliable evidence to prove a crime occurred,” while adding that the case could be reopened if new evidence emerges.
In a statement to the station, Jet Security LLC CEO Endri Cenolli said staff who viewed the footage told his company the video “does not support the allegations,” according to Click2Houston. That leaves parents staring at a standoff over what the surveillance video actually shows.
Who Hires The Guards?
Media reports identify the guard involved as an employee of Jet Security LLC, a firm that appears on HISD procurement documents as a vendor for unarmed security services, per HISD procurement documents. According to HISD, the district deploys contracted officers to help with campus safety, while HISD police are responsible for investigations when alleged misconduct is reported.
Campus Safety Questions
The Briscoe family’s push for transparency is tapping into broader frustrations over campus oversight at some HISD schools. Earlier this year, HISD placed an employee at MacGregor on leave after two toddlers walked off campus unsupervised, a move that drew local criticism and led to an internal review, according to ABC13. Parents and advocates say releasing the latest surveillance footage would resolve key questions far faster than a long, closed-door investigation.
What’s Next
For now, prosecutors have declined to file charges, but the DA’s office says it may revisit the case if new, reliable evidence surfaces. Briscoe says she will continue to press HISD to release the footage and to seek accountability if the video supports her son’s account. The district has not posted the surveillance publicly, and the family says it will keep pushing elected officials and the security contractor for answers.
