Harris County Deputy Indicted on Murder Charge After Fatal 2025 Shooting

A Harris County grand jury indicted Deputy Aileen Jimenez Barboza, 36, on a murder charge in the shooting death of Levincer Swanson, 36, outside an Exxon gas station at 1303 North Freeway at West Road, according to the Harris County District Attorney's Office. The indictment came more than a year after Swanson was killed on Feb. 27, 2025, and followed an Internal Affairs investigation that found Barboza violated multiple department policies in connection with the fatal shooting.

The sequence of events began when two deputies, including Barboza, were dispatched to the north Harris County Exxon after a 911 caller reported a man behaving erratically and destroying the fuel pumps. The deputies approached the man, later identified as Swanson, and ordered him to lie on the ground. A physical struggle followed, during which Barboza fired two gunshots, striking Swanson. He later died from his wounds.

The criminal indictment was not the only institutional response. The Harris County Sheriff's Office Administrative Disciplinary Committee separately recommended termination of Deputy Barboza, a decision that came the same week the grand jury returned its murder charge. The Internal Affairs investigation, which preceded both actions, concluded that Barboza had violated multiple policies, though the specific policies at issue have not been made public.

It remains unclear whether Barboza has been arrested or placed on administrative leave, and no attorney for her has been publicly identified. The Harris County District Attorney's Office has not released a statement beyond confirming the indictment, and the Sheriff's Office has not publicly addressed the specifics of the Internal Affairs findings or the timeline of Barboza's employment status. Court records would reflect any arraignment date or bond conditions set following the indictment.