Former Texas officer Roy Oliver has reportedly been found guilty of murder in the case of Jordan Edwards – an unarmed teen who was reportedly shot while riding in the passenger set of a car that had left a party in a Dallas suburb in 2017, CNN reports.
A jury in Dallas County, Texas convicted Oliver of murder but did not find him guilty of the two lesser charges in the Edwards’ untimely death.
In court, prosecutors told jurors that Edwards did not deserve to die. “This innocent kid was not doing anything wrong, nothing,” prosecutor Mike Snipes said, according to KTVT. The defense contended that Oliver opened fire on Edwards in the car out of alleged fearing for his and his partner’s safety.
As previously reported, Edwards was leaving a house party in Apr. 2017 when the incident occurred. Oliver fired multiple rounds of his patrol rifle into the vehicle carrying Edwards and a group of other kids (including his two brothers) as it drove past him. One bullet reportedly struck the teen. He suffered a gunshot wound to the head, likely killing him instantly, a medical examiner stated.
Oliver, who served six years on the department, was fired after the shooting. His termination came after the officer said he “misspoke” when he claimed Edwards’ vehicle was moving aggressively toward the officers, Police Chief Jonathan Haber stated. Body camera footage, however, showed the car was moving away from the police, instead of towards them.
Interestingly enough, Oliver’s conviction comes on the same day Emmett Till was murdered in Mississippi 63 years ago.
Edwards is remembered as an outstanding athlete at Mesquite High School near the Dallas area.
READ MORE: Officer Teaching Course On How To Survive Killing Unarmed Black Men