FIRED DALLAS- AREA OFFICER CHARGED IN TEEN’S DEATH

Suspect had been suspended in 2013 over conduct

A white Dallas- area police officer has been arrested on murder charges in connection with the shooting of a black teenager whose funeral was scheduled for Saturday.

Roy Oliver, who was fired last week from the Balch Springs Police Department, surrendered to Parker County authorities Friday after an arrest warrant was issued in the shooting death of 15year- old Jordan Edwards. He was released on a $ 300,000 bond.

The six- year veteran of the police department was accused of firing his weapon into a car full of teenagers as the vehicle was leaving a party the night of April 29.

Edwards, his two brothers and two other teenagers were driving away from an unruly house party in Balch Springs, a Dallas suburb, when Oliver opened fire on their vehicle with a rifle. The bullets shattered the front passengerside window and struck Edwards.

The Dallas County Sheriff’s Office, which is investigating the shooting, said the arrest warrant was based on evidence that suggested Oliver “intended to cause bodily injury and commit an act clearly dangerous to human life that caused the death.”

The Dallas County Medical Examiner’s Office has ruled Edwards’ death a homicide.

Edwards was a popular foot- ball player at Mesquite High School. “He was a good student who was very wellliked by his teachers, coaches and his fellow students,” the Mesquite Independent School District said in a statement. “The entire district — especially the staff and students of Mesquite High School — are mourning this terrible loss.”

Balch Springs officials initially said Oliver fired as the car was moving toward him but changed their story after viewing his body cam. Oliver was fired Tuesday for violating department policies.

Records obtained by the Associated Press show that Oliver was briefly suspended four years ago following a complaint about his conduct while serving as a witness in a drunken- driving case.

Oliver was also ordered to undergo training courses in anger management and courtroom demeanor and testimony, according to the records.

GUY REYNOLDS, THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS VIA AP Charmaine and Odell Edwards listen as their attorney, Lee Merritt, talks about the death of their son, Jordan Edwards, in a police shooting in Balch Springs, Texas.

COURTESY OF LEE MERRITT/ EDWARDS FAMILY VIA AP Jordan Edwards, a 15- year- old high school student, is shown in an undated family photo with his father.

PARKER COUNTY