Texas Cop Who Killed Teen as He Left Party Is Fired

Chief: 'There were violations. I acted on them'
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted May 3, 2017 5:21 AM CDT
Texas Cop Who Killed Unarmed Teen Is Fired
Jordan Edwards' football helmet, jersey and shoulder pads are seen at his locker with a name card signed by teammates at Mesquite High School in Mesquite, Texas, Tuesday, May 2, 2017.   (Jae S. Lee/The Dallas Morning News via AP)

The police officer who fatally shot 15-year-old Jordan Edwards near Dallas on Saturday night has been fired and the boy's family says they hope he is charged with murder. Balch Springs Police Chief Jonathan Haber announced Tuesday evening that officer Roy Oliver had been fired for violating departmental policies, NBC reports. "From our policies, which I went by, there were violations," the chief said, per the Dallas Morning News. "I acted on them." He promised that the department would be "responsive, transparent, and accountable" in the wake of the death of the unarmed black teenager.

Jordan was killed when the officer fired his rifle into the front passenger seat of a car full of teenagers leaving a party, according to a lawyer for the teen's family. Police initially said the vehicle had been "aggressively" driving toward officers, but later admitted that body-cam footage showed the vehicle driving away. The teen's relatives have called for action against other officers involved, saying they "manhandled, intimidated, and arrested" Jordan's two brothers and two of his friends as the teen "lay dying in the front seat." (The Edwards family has called for no protests and marches as it prepares for his funeral.)

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