The death of 15 year old boy, Jordan Edwards will be given justice as the former Dallas police officer, Roy Oliver of Balch Springs who fatally shot the boy, was charged for murder on Friday, authorities said. A party that Edwards was attending tragically ended in his death and the man who shot at the passenger side of where Edwards was sitting, is now terminated, arrested and facing criminal charges.
The actions leading up to the shooting
In a press conference which the Balch Springs police department held, authorities said they received a 911 call of the sighting of numerous intoxicated under-aged individuals.
When officers arrived, they noticed a large party and while inside trying to find the owners of the house, numerous gunshots were heard outside. The kids around the area scattered as Jordan Edwards sat in the passenger side of the vehicle also trying to leave the scene. The police officers confronted the vehicle with many verbal commands to stop, the vehicle did not and continued to reverse. As the vehicle began to drive away, Roy Oliver shot at the vehicle, which hit unarmed Jordan Edwards located in the passenger seat.
The department on Roy Oliver
Police officials say Roy Oliver "violated several department policies", which contributed to the decision of his termination. The firing was after Oliver came forward and said he "misspoke" when he told officials that the vehicle Edwards was in, was moving toward him "aggressively."
On the Monday following the tragic event, Police chief Johnathan Haber released a statement that said the body camera footage showed the opposite of what Oliver told.
The car did not reverse towards them, but rather drove away.
The family and community on Jordan Edwards
The neighborhood was filled with frustration and anger, and a big cry to have justice for a Honor student who was mistakenly shot and killed. Residents refrained from protesting, after the family asked that they don't so they can properly mourn his death and try to cope with it.
As classmates and football teammates prayed and cried with his family, each member wrote a message on a memorial taped on his locker.
At the end of the day, the neighborhood doesn't want another protest, and instead wants the man responsble brought to justice. Jordan's funeral is scheduled for Saturday May 6.
