Angelo State University student, Christian Taylor, was fatally shot in Arlington, Texas by a police officer who responded to a suspected burglary on Friday (Aug. 7).
According to The Dallas Morning News, a car dealership’s security company notified the police department of a robbery in progress. Officers arrived at the building and said, “they found the man in the dealership’s showroom and approached him.” Following a reported altercation, Officer Brad Miller, 49, drew his gun and shot Taylor. Sgt. Paul Rodriguez said an SUV was driven through the dealership’s glass doors.
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Pictures of GMC where #ChristianTaylor crashed into the building. Very small Area of Effect. @deray pic.twitter.com/bIl6eTYnbU
— Hayden (@Mulignane) August 8, 2015
Taylor, 19, was a defensive back for his school’s football team. His mentor, Travis Pride, a coach at Mansfield Summit, said to the Morning News that Taylor was eager to get back on the field once the semester started this fall.
“He told me that he thought he’d have an opportunity to start,” Pride said. “He was ready to get back. He loved the coaches, loved the program. All signs were pointed to go, for him to go get things done.” He also described him as a “fun-loving prankster, a jokester,” and someone who possessed “a lot of personality.”
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Officials are currently reviewing the dealership’s cameras, but revealed that the officers don’t wear body cams. Miller has been placed on administrative leave, and was previously in field training.
In an interview with Post Worth Star-Telegram, Taylor’s great uncle, Clyde Fuller, said his nephew was a “good kid.” “I think something is going on that somebody is lying about,” he said. “…They say he’s burglarizing the place by running up in there? Nuh-uh. Something doesn’t sound right.”
Sgt. Rodriguez said there’ll be an administrative and criminal investigation launched in the coming weeks.