A Dallas County jury has found former Balch Springs, TX, police officer Roy Oliver guilty of murder in the death of 15-year-old Jordan Edwards, who was shot and killed in April 2017.
The jury deliberated for about 12 hours over a period of two days before reaching its verdict. The courtroom erupted in cries and cheers from Edwards’ family afterward as they clapped and hugged each other.
As the jury rendered its verdict, a photo of Edwards rested underneath Judge Brandon Birmingham’s bench — where it was left during the duration of the weeklong trial, the Star-Telegram reports.
Oliver shot into the back of a 2004 black Impala where Edwards was a passenger on April 29 last year. He claimed the car was about to run over his partner, Officer Tyler Gross, but several witnesses and video taken from the officer’s body camera show the car was moving away from Gross.
Officer Gross himself testified on the first day of the trial against Oliver. He said he never feared for his life. An expert in the use of force also testified that Oliver was not justified in shooting Edwards.
