Texas police officer who fatally shot black teen found guilty of murder
(Sentenced to 15 years)
ByDaniel Uria (1)Verdict Read: Roy Oliver Guilty Of MurderCBS Dallas-Fort Worth
Aug. 28 (UPI) — A Texas jury on Tuesday found former police officer Roy Oliver guilty of murder in the shooting death of 15-year-old Jordan Edwards.
Oliver, who was fired from the Balch Springs Police Department days after the shooting, faces life in prison after being found guilty of murder for firing his rifle into a car carrying five unarmed teens as they left a house party in April 2017. The shooting killed Jordan, who was a passenger in the car.
The jury also found Oliver not guilty on two charges of aggravated assault. Jurors had the option of finding Oliver guilty of manslaughter, which carries a lesser punishment of up to 20 years in prison, but ultimately decided on the murder charge.RELATED Dallas area police dept. fires officer who fatally shot 15-year-old.
It sounds like the jury got this one right. My only fear is that the big picture has been missed. Kudos to Balch Springs PD for taking immediate action and firing the officer. But, I see another problem and no indication that it has been corrected or even addressed. This guy screwed up, but he didn’t do it in a vacuum.
I started out, as a cop, in a college town. On almost any Friday or Saturday night there were at least a couple of “off campus” parties going on around town. It wasn’t unusual for over a hundred people to attend. Since they all couldn’t fit into a two bedroom apartment the majority milled around outside.
The police department typically fielded two or three officers and a sergeant on evening and midnight shifts. A loud party complaint was usually handled by one officer.
A second complaint was the signal for the party to end. To emphasize the point when I left I made sure that I didn’t leave alone. As I made my way through the huddled masses of drunks, I would find a volunteer to go to jail. I know he was a volunteer because as I walked by he told me. Terms such as: “Fuckin pigs, Oink-Oink, indicated a clear and unequivocal desire to go to jail. I accommodated him. One cop a hundred drunks what could possibly go wrong?
As it turns out, nothing. I continued my campaign of not leaving alone. Things changed the soloist (Fuck you) gained a chorus. The obscenities directed at me were soon followed by: “Man, shut the fuck up, that cop is crazy, he’ll take you to jail no matter how many of us there are!”
I didn’t need back up or a patrol rifle to accomplish my task.
What’s that got to do with Balch Springs? Just this, I can’t come up with any conceivable reason to answer a loud party, underage drinkers call equipped with a patrol rifle. Who said that was okay? Where was the sergeant or his fellow offices to look at him and say: “What the fuck are you doing?” I suspect that the convicted officer was following established practice. Shame on Balch Springs PD if that is so.
I have participated in over 1000 high risk enforcement operations, buy-busts, search warrants, and felony take downs. Every officer on the team was armed with only a pistol. Okay, maybe two or three pistols. Our analysis of the type of confrontation was that shooting distances typically were measured in feet and inches. It was more likely we would have to physically control a suspect rather than shoot. In the confined spaces of an average residence, a rifle or shotgun became a hindrance rather than a help. I suspect some officers carry an AR as some type of fashion statement.
Technology and policy are no substitute for a thinking police officer. Policy and procedure establish the lowest common denominator, not upper level goals. Just because you give a cop a high tech device, there is no guarantee that it will be used in the intended manner.
For those of you unfamiliar with the AR-15 and all it’s variants, the extended magazine bends forward. The weapon in the picture, above, is incapable of firing.