Car was driving away from officer when he shot boy with rifle, Balch Springs chief says
Car was driving away from officer when he shot boy with rifle, Balch Springs chief says
Jennifer Emily Julieta Chiquillo Charles Scudder Eline de Bruijn Dallas 14 hrs ago
The police chief in Balch Springs admitted Monday that a car full of teens was driving away from police when an officer armed with a rifle fatally shot a 15-year-old boy in the head.
After reviewing body-cam footage, Police Chief Jonathan Haber reversed his initial account about Saturday's deadly confrontation, saying the teen behind the wheel Saturday night at first backed down the street but was fleeing the scene when the officer opened fire.
"It did not meet our core values," Haber said of his officer's actions.
Haber had initially said the car was driving backward when Jordan Edwards was shot. The officers had been inside a house where they found a large party. The ran outside after hearing gunshots around 11 p.m. Saturday in the 12300 block of Baron Drive.
Jordan, a freshman at Mesquite High School, was leaving the party over the weekend when the officer shot him through the passenger's side window.
The medical examiner's office said Jordan was killed with a rifle and also ruled his death a homicide, though that doesn't necessarily mean charges will be filed.
Jordan was a straight-A student and a standout athlete, who was beloved by his schoolmates, Merritt said at a news conference Monday afternoon. The boy's parents, Charmaine and Odell Edwards, sat silently next to the attorney, occasionally wiping their eyes with tissues. They declined to talk about their son or the shooting.
https://www.dallasnews.com/news/dallas/2017/04/30/officer-fatally-shoots-15-year-old-balch-springs