The Balch Springs Police Department has fired the officer who shot and killed 15-year-old Jordan Edwards; the boy's family wants to see the officer next charged with murder.
Balch Springs Police Officer Roy Oliver was terminated Tuesday for violating department policies in a shooting that killed Edwards as he rode in the front seat of a vehicle pulling away from a house party Saturday night.
Police originally said the vehicle was reversing "in an aggressive manner" toward officers, but later said that body-camera video taken at the scene proved the vehicle was actually driving away.
Lee Merritt, an attorney for Edwards' family, said the officer shot him with a rifle through the front passenger side window. Merritt said Edwards' family is pleased with the swift manner in which Balch Springs Police Chief Jonathan Haber has acted, but know that it is just one step in a long process.
The family is hoping Oliver is charged with murder, Merritt said, even though they know the Dallas County Sheriff's Office investigation could take months. The case will then be handed over to the Dallas County District Attorney's office.
"The family is in it for the long haul," Merritt said. "They know – we all know – that a crime took place, and we all want to see just punishment for that crime."
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
Days removed from the death, many residents said the loss still stings.
"It hurts my heart because I have a grandson that's 13," Pat Owens-Burton said. "Hurts my heart real bad."
As community members struggle to understand what happened, local activists want answers as well.
"The spotlight's on them and it shouldn't be just on the police officers," said the Rev. Ronald Wright. "It should be on the District Attorney's office. That's who the spotlight needs to be on."
Wright wants to see the Dallas County District Attorney's Office move forward with prosecution of the officer.
"We have to start holding these officers accountable when they make bad choices," Wright said.
Some in the community are calling for a state or federal investigation.
"We shouldn't have to have an out-of-town marshal come in," Wright said. "This is a cut and dry case."
Merritt's law office released a statement Tuesday on behalf of Edwards' family:
"We are grateful the decision has been made to terminate the officer responsible for Jordan’s murder. Over the past 24 hours Chief Haber has made commendable strides toward justice. However, there remains a long road ahead. We anxiously await this officer’s identification and arrest for the crime of murder. The magnitude of his horrible actions cannot be overstated. We fully expect an equivalent response from those responsible for investigating and punishing the crime. We also know that although his actions were the most wicked and consequential, he was not the only officer responsible for dreadful behavior that evening. After Jordan’s two brothers, Vidal and Kevon, along with their two friends, were forced to experience this tragedy up close as occupants of the car, they were immediately treated as common criminals by other officers; manhandled, intimidated and arrested, while their brother lay dying in the front seat. The officers who extended this nightmare for those children ought to be properly reprimanded as well. Our family is working hard to deal with both the loss of our beloved Jordan and the lingering trauma it has caused our boys."
