The killing of unarmed 19-year-old Christian Taylor is the latest death at the hands of law enforcement to make national headlines. On Friday (Aug. 7), Taylor was gunned down in Arlington, Texas after officers were called to respond to a suspected burglary. Police identified Taylor’s shooter as 49-year-old Brad Miller, an officer in training with no previous police experience prior to his graduation from the Arlington police academy in March.
Authorities claim that Taylor crashed his vehicle into the front window of a Classic Buick GMC car dealership. The report states that Taylor was approached by the officers, and that a struggled ensued, leading Miller to deliver the fatal shot. Miller has since been placed on administrative leave.
READ: Arlington Officer In Training Fatally Shoots Unarmed College Student Christian Taylor
As the public awaits details and the family mourns its loss, previous tweets by Taylor have come to light, revealing that the Angelo State University defensive back offered commentary on police brutality and general distrust in the system:
I don’t wanna die too younggggg
— October 13th (@he_got_sneaks) July 31, 2015
Police taking black lives as easy as flippin a coin, with no consequences smh
— October 13th (@he_got_sneaks) December 24, 2014
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Our police system is a joke, when will we ever be protected?
— October 13th (@he_got_sneaks) December 24, 2014
I don’t feel protected by the police
— October 13th (@he_got_sneaks) August 12, 2014
Taylor’s family has already begun to question information provided by officials. His great uncle, Clyde Fuller, expressed a disbelief in the scenario presented.
“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.”