TEXAS POLICE CHANGE STORY IN SHOOTING TO DEATH OF BLACK TEEN
AJC HOMEPAGE
The car in which Jordan was riding was not backing toward officers “in an aggressive manner,” as police initially described, Police Chief Jonathan Haber said. Rather, police video shows that the car was actually driving away when an officer fired his rifle into the vehicle, striking Jordan in the head, Haber said.
Jordan was killed Saturday night as he and four other teenagers left the scene of a house party at the home of another teen. A neighbor had called police, saying he thought teenagers were drinking at the house.
Attorney Lee Merritt, who is representing Jordan’s family, said during an earlier press conference Monday that police were "offering facts that they believe paint a picture that would justify the unjustifiable."
Merritt spoke as Jordan’s parents sat next to him, weeping quietly.
The attorney later told the Associated Press, "This has happened far too often. We are tired of making the same rhetorical demands, of having the same hashtags."
His name was #jordanedwards
No record
No weapon
No drugs
No 16th birthday party
No graduation
No family
No future
Jordan’s community was devastated by his death: he was described as a popular high school freshman with a bright smile and a brighter future.
Jeff Fleener, football coach at Mesquite High School, has only been on the job for two months and doesn’t yet know the names of all 160 players on his teams. But he told the Dallas Morning News that Jordan, who played on the freshman squad, befriended him on his first day.
"The best thing in the world or the worst thing in the world would happen, and he'd smile, and everything would be OK," Fleener told the Morning News. "You create a checklist of everything you would want in a player, a son, a teammate, a friend, and Jordan had all that. He was that kid."
Fleener’s teams were to have their first day of spring practice Monday, but he called it off and had a team meeting instead.
“It was a hard, hard morning,” he told The Washington Post, “and one of those things they don’t ever prepare you for as a coach.”
Merritt, the attorney, said Jordan’s family wants to see the officer fired and criminally charged.
The police chief called for time to let authorities complete their investigations. Haber wouldn't identify the officer and didn't release his race, but said he had been "removed from all duties" and placed on leave.
The officer has been with the force for about six years, Dallas TV station WFAA reported.
We need answers. @BalchSpringsPD should immediately release footage of #JordanEdwards shooting. ow.ly/zJ3P30bkExt #BlackLivesMatter
Haber said he was troubled by what he saw.
"I do have questions in relation to my observation on the video, and what is consistent with the policies and core values of the Balch Springs Police Department," Haber said.
He wouldn’t release the video or describe it in detail, saying it’s part of the investigation of the shooting, the Associated Press reported.
The original police statement about the shooting said officers responded to a report of "several underage kids drunk walking around," the AP said.
Merritt said there was no alcohol found in the car and no evidence that the passengers had been drinking.
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