Former Texas cop convicted of murder for shooting unarmed black teen

A former Balch Springs, Texas police officer was convicted of murder for killing a black teenager when he fired shots into the back of a vehicle, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

The officer, Roy Oliver, was found guilty of murder but not guilty on two counts of aggravated assault. He faces up to life in prison for the shooting death of 15-year-old Jordan Edwards in April 2017.

"It's about Tamir Rice," said Daryl Washington, the attorney for Jordan's father Odell. "It's about Walter Scott. It's about Alton Sterling. It's about every, every African-American, unarmed African-American, who has been killed and who has not gotten justice."

What was his crime?

Oliver and Officer Tyler Gross responded to a noise complaint about a house party late on the night of April 29, 2017.

While at the scene, there was initially no conflict, and body camera footage showed that the officers were joking with some of the teenagers who were leaving the party.

Everything changed, however, when gunshots were heard nearby while the officers were inside the house. The gunshots came from a nearby nursing home.

Oliver ran to his vehicle to get his patrol rifle, and less than a minute later he shot five times at the Chevrolet Impala that carried Edwards, his brothers and some friends, killing Edwards.

Oliver said he shot at the car because he thought it was going to hit Gross, but footage contradicts that claim and Gross even testified against Oliver, saying he never feared for his life.

Sending a message?

According to the Star-Telegram, no on-duty police officer had been convicted of killing someone in Texas in more than 40 years before Oliver's conviction.

The Dallas County District Attorney, Faith Johnson, said when Oliver was charged that she hoped to send a message to police that "if you do wrong, we will prosecute you."