Former Cop Who Killed Jordan Edwards Indicted By Grand Jury

Photo via Attorney S. Lee Merritt

A Texas grand jury has indicted the former police officer who fatally shot 15-year-old Jordan Edwards.

In a report from the Dallas News, a Dallas County grand jury indicted former Balch Springs police officer Roy Oliver for the murder of Edwards back in April of this year, on Monday. Oliver was also indicted on four counts of aggravated assault by a public servant for firing his rifle into the vehicle Edwards (along with his two brothers and two friends) was in, when the teenagers tried to leave a party after shots were fired from a gun.

READ: Jordan Edwards' Family Sues Texas Cop, Department In 15-Year-Old's Death

Police reports had initially said that the vehicle Edwards was in was "backing down the street towards the officers in an aggressive manner." However, Balch Springs police chief Jonathan Haber retracted the statement saying, "I unintentionally (was) incorrect when I said the vehicle was backing down the road…in fact, I can tell you that I do have questions in relation to my observation (of) the video. After reviewing the video, I don't believe that it met our core values."

Although no date has been set for Oliver's trial, Dallas County District Attorney Faith Johnson said prosecutors will first pursue the murder charge against Oliver. "I think our police officers would stand with us and say, 'We do not condone bad behavior,'" Johnson said. "Hopefully, it is a message we are sending to the bad police officers. If you do wrong, we will prosecute you."

READ: The Police Officer Who Killed Jordan Edwards Has Been Fired

Last month, Oliver was also indicted on two aggravated assault charges after being accused of pulling a gun on two people in an unrelated road-rage incident weeks before Jordan's death. The district attorney called Oliver a "danger to the community."

Source: dallasnews.com