Texas jury finds ex-police officer guilty
of murdering black teen
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[August 29, 2018]
By Jon Herskovitz
AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - A Texas jury on
Tuesday found a white former policeman guilty of murder for fatally
shooting a black teenager in a car moving away from him in a 2017 case
in a Dallas suburb that fueled a national debate over possible racial
bias in U.S. policing.
The police officer, Roy Oliver, 38, was fired by the Balch Springs
Police Department for violating department policy a few days after he
fatally shot Jordan Edwards, 15, a standout high school student and
athlete. Edwards was shot in the head.
The conviction was a rare instance in which an officer was found guilty
of murdering an unarmed person.
The sentencing phase of the trial started shortly after the verdict came
out and the same jury that convicted Oliver will decide on his
punishment. He faces up to life in prison.
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Oliver, along with another officer, had responded to reports of underage
drinking at a house party in the predominantly black and Hispanic city
of Balch Springs, about 15 miles (25 km) southeast of Dallas. Oliver
fired his rifle five times at a car with several other teens inside,
prosecutors said.
The jurors deliberated for about 12 hours over two days before reaching
its verdict, following a trial that started in mid-August.
First Assistant District Attorney Michael Snipes said Oliver was a
trigger-happy policeman who sent the teenager to an early grave.
"This guy is an angry, out-of-control, walking bomb," Snipes said in
closing arguments.
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![](../images/082918pics/news_f13.jpg)
A combination photo shows Roy Oliver in Parker County Sheriff's
Office booking photos in Weatherford, Texas, U.S. on May 5, 2017.
Courtesy Parker County Sheriff's Office/Handout via REUTERS
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After the verdict came out, Odell Edwards, the father of the victim,
told media: "It's been a long time. It's been a hard year. I'm just
really happy."
The arrest warrant for Oliver said he and the other officer tried to
stop a car at an intersection near the party. The other officer
broke a passenger window with the butt of his gun.
Police body camera images showed to jurors indicated that the car
was pointed away from the officers and was moving away from Oliver
when he fired at it.
Oliver's defense attorney, Jim Lane, said the vehicle was a threat
to Oliver's partner that night and he reacted to save his partner by
firing into the car.
"Roy Oliver reasonably made the decision that he had to make," Lane
said in closing arguments.
Two of Edwards' brothers were in the car with him and watched him
die, a family lawyer said.
(Reporting by Jon Herskovitz; Editing by Leslie Adler and Sandra
Maler)
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