Ex-Texas cop guilty of murder for killing unarmed black teen
DALLAS — A white ex-police officer was convicted of murder Tuesday for fatally shooting an unarmed, black 15-year-old boy while firing into a car packed with teenagers in suburban Dallas, marking a rare guilty verdict in a police shooting case.
Dallas County jurors were not swayed by Roy Oliver’s claim that he feared for his partner’s life when he fired into the vehicle as it drove away from a large house party. The gunfire killed Jordan Edwards, who was sitting in the front passenger seat.
Gasps echoed around the courtroom as the verdict was read. Edwards’ relatives sobbed and hugged prosecutors, and waved their hands in the air and proclaimed “Thank you, Jesus!” after the jury left.
His father, Odell Edwards, briefly spoke outside the courtroom before heading back in to begin listening to the sentencing phase of the trial. He said he was thankful for the jury’s decision and felt like jumping for joy but was able to restrain himself.
“I just want to say I’m happy, very happy,” he said, adding that it’s “been a long time” since he felt that way.
Oliver and his partner were responding to a report of underage drinking at a house party when the shooting occurred in April 2017. Oliver was fired days later from the Balch Springs Police Department.
Oliver testified during the trial that he opened fire after seeing the car move toward his partner, but his partner told jurors he didn’t fear for his life.
It’s extremely rare for police officers to be tried and convicted of murder for shootings that occurred while they were on duty. Not including Oliver, only five nonfederal police officers had been convicted of murder — and four of those were overturned — since 2005, according to data compiled by criminologist and Bowling Green State University professor Phil Stinson.
Ahead of the trial, experts noted that securing convictions against officers were challenging, in part because criminal culpability in onduty shootings is subjective and jurors are more inclined to believe police testimony.
Oliver also was found not guilty on two lesser charges Tuesday stemming from the shooting: aggravated assault and assault with a deadly weapon. Jurors deliberated over two days before reaching the verdict.
“This was a long fought battle,” said Daryl Washington, an attorney representing Edwards’ family in a civil lawsuit they’ve filed in his death. “We are just happy … that Roy Oliver is gonna have to do his time for taking Jordan’s life. What he did on that night should have never happened.”
In closing arguments, defense attorneys told the jury they needed to evaluate the circumstances from Oliver’s viewpoint and from what the former officer knew at the time. But prosecutors described Oliver as out of control and looking for a reason to kill. They argued that his firing into the car wasn’t reasonable.