A former Dallas-area police officer was indicted Monday on murder and other charges in a deadly April encounter in which authorities said he fired at a car, killing an unarmed black 15-year-old passenger.
The five were driving away from a house party after reportedly hearing shots. Jordan, an honor student and standout athlete at Mesquite High School, near Dallas, died from a fatal gunshot wound to the head, the Dallas County medical examiner’s office said.
« I have a personal guarantee to Jordan, his family, this community that we will prosecute this case vigorously, » Johnson told reporters. « This to me is the first step to healing this community, and hopefully rebuilding the community. »
Cindy Stormer, who was previously listed as Oliver’s attorney, could not be reached on Monday.
Balch Springs Police Chief Jonathan Haber fired Oliver, a 6-year veteran of the department, shortly after the shooting, with the department saying the officer « violated several departmental policies. » Oliver has a right to appeal the firing, the department said after his dismissal.
The firing of Oliver on May 2 came a day after Haber admitted he « misspoke » when he said the car Jordan was in was moving « aggressively » toward police — leading one officer to fire his rifle toward the car.
Haber later said the body camera footage showed the car was driving forward — away from the officers, not reversing towards them.
At the time of Oliver’s arrest, a spokeswoman for the Dallas County Sheriff’s Department said the arrest warrant was issued because evidence suggested Oliver « intended to cause serious bodily injury and commit an act clearly dangerous to human life that caused the death of an individual. »
Johnson said it was the first time authorities there had issued an arrest warrant for an officer before the case was presented to the grand jury.
Oliver was freed on $300,000 bond after prosecutors charged him with first-degree murder. Johnson said Oliver’s bail is now $700,000. It was not clear Monday whether Johnson was in custody.
He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted of either murder or aggravated assault with a deadly weapon by a public servant — both first-degree felonies.
The shooting death of Edwards was one of several deaths of black males at the hands of police nationwide. The deaths have spawned protests and fueled a national conversation on police conduct.
