On April 29, 2017, a young boy named Jordan Edwards was fatally shot by a white police officer named Roy Oliver in Balch Springs, Texas. Edwards was shot in the back of the head when a group of his friends were driving away from a party late at night.

The officer who shot Edwards responded to a report late last Saturday of underage drinking at a house party. Officer Oliver and another police man entered the house but quickly left after they heard gunshots outside of the house.

The gunshots created panic and caused everyone at the party to flee. The policemen had reported an unknown vehicle backing down the street towards the officer in an aggressive manner.  

As Edwards and his friends drove away from the house, Mr. Oliver fired his AR-15 rifle, striking Jordan Edwards, a student at Mesquite High School, in the back of the head.

Along with Edwards, the car contained two of Edwards’s brothers and two friends. Edwards’s 16-year old brother was  driving the car.

Oliver shot straight through the passenger side window. Edwards was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

According to police, Edwards’ brother was held in a police station for the purpose of questioning him as a witness.

After watching the body cam footage, Jonathan Haber reported that the car was not driving towards the police officers, but in fact, driving away from them.

Haber said he had misspoke. “I was unintentionally incorrect yesterday when I said that the victim’s vehicle was backing down the road.”

A later statement by the police department said, “The vehicle then pulled forward as the officer continued to approach the vehicle giving verbal commands. The vehicle continued the main roadway driving away from the officer as an officer shot into the vehicle striking the passenger.”

Oliver had been a part of the police force for six years. He was recently fired and charged with murder.

Chief Haber told us that Oliver’s behavior “did not meet our core values.”

On May 5, 2017, Oliver was charged with murder and a warrant was issued for his arrest. He turned himself into police that day and was released after posting $300,000 in bail.

A vigil was held at Edwards school on May 1, 2017. Social media and public said his death compared to the killings of other black men by police officers. Thousand of people began to use the hashtag #JordanEdwards on social media in response to the shooting.

A local protest was was postponed at the request of Jordan Edwards’ family.