Dallas jury finds police officer who fatally shot 15-year-old Jordan Edwards GUILTY of murder

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A Dallas County jury has found ex-Balch Springs police officer Roy Oliver guilty of murder in the shooting death of 15-year-old Jordan Edwards.

As the jury handed up its verdict, a photo of the young teen rested underneath Judge Brandon Birmingham’s bench—where it was left during the weeklong trial, according to the Star-Telegram.

Oliver was indicted by a grand jury for the murder of Edwards in April 2017 and for four counts of aggravated assault for each of the teens in the car with Edwards.

On Thursday, Oliver testified that he heard gunshots. The officers were inside a home and the shots were not connected to the party but were instead coming from outside. It was later determined the shots were coming from a nearby nursing home, reports the Dallas News.

Oliver told jurors that he saw a vehicle attempting to evade the scene and he shot into the car.

“I had to make a decision,” he told jurors.

“This car is about to hit my partner,” Oliver said. “I had no other option.”

But prosecutors argued that the officers were not in any immediate danger.

Jordan’s 16-year-old brother was driving the vehicle. Oliver fired five shots. Jordan was shot in the back of the head.

—Police officer acquitted after killing Black man seeking help to teach training class—

Afterward, Oliver said, “I was in shock. I was in shock for days.”

After realizing he killed the unarmed teen, he said.

“It was to the gut,” Oliver said, calling it “sickening”.

“My heart sank. For a minute there, it was hard to breathe.”

The fired police officer then blamed his fatal shooting of the unarmed teenager on the victim’s brother, saying on the stand:

“if the driver” —16-year-old Vidal Allen — “would have listened and stopped” the shooting death could have been prevented.

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