Innocent Passenger: Questions Over 15-Year-Old Boy Fatally Shot by Police
Jordan Edwards: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know
Jordan Edwards, a 15-year-old freshman at Mesquite High School in Texas, was fatally shot by police in Balch Springs. (Contributed Photo/Lee Merritt/Facebook)
A 15-year-old Texas boy was fatally shot by police Saturday night while he was the passenger in a car, authorities say.
Jordan Edwards was in the front passenger’s seat and was shot through the windshield by a Balch Springs Police officer, an attorney for his family told the Dallas Morning News.
Jordan was in the car with four other teens, Merritt said.
Balch Springs Police said they were called to a report of “several underage kids walking around” in the 12300 block of Baron Drive about 11 p.m. Saturday, according to a press release. Police said the responding officers heard gunfire while looking for the teens and opened fire on the car Edwards was in after “an unknown altercation.”
The family’s attorney, Lee Merritt, told the newspaper Jordan and his friends were not the teens police were looking for and hadn’t been drinking. He said the other teens in the car are not facing charges.
“An unarmed 15 y/o child died after being shot in the head by Balch Springs PD. A cop shot multiple rounds into a car filled with teens,” Merritt said on Facebook.
“Another family ripped apart by police brutality. There was absolutely no justification for this murder,” Merritt said on Twitter. “We demand justice!”
Balch Springs, a city of about 23,000 people, is located in north Texas, about 20 minutes from Dallas.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Police Say the Vehicle Edwards Was in Backed Toward Officers ‘in an Aggressive Manner,’ but His Family Disputes That Claim
Officers responded to the 12300 block of Baron Drive about 11 p.m. Saturday after receiving a 911 call reporting “several underage kids drunk walking around,” Balch Springs Police said in a press release posted Sunday.
Neighbors told KTVT-TV reporter Gabriel Roxas that there had been a large house party attended by “unsupervised teens” in the area near where officers responded.
Neighbor tells us house party that 15-y-o Jordan Edwards left was crowded w/ unsupervised drunk teens fighting before gunshots fired
The officers “arrived to investigate,” and “during the investigation, officers heard gunfire,” police said in the press release.
“There was an unknown altercation with a vehicle backing down the street towards the officers in an aggressive manner,” police said. “An officer shot at the vehicle striking the front seat passenger.”
The victim was later identified by his family as 15-year-old Jordan Edwards.
Jordan was shot in the head by an officer using a rifle, the Dallas Medical Examiner’s Office said. His death has been ruled a homicide.
Through their attorney, Lee Merritt, the family has disputed the police version of what happened, saying the car was not aggressively moving toward the officers.
An unarmed 15 y/o child died after being shot in the head by Balch Springs PD (TX). A cop shot muliple rounds into a car filled with teens.
Leaving @BalchSpringsPD presser on the murder of #JordanEdwards bothered by talk of “aggressive car movement” There is no justification!
Police said Edwards was taken to a local hospital “where he later died from his injuries.”
No other information about the shooting, including the officer’s name, has been released. It is not clear if the shooting was captured on body or dashboard cameras, or if there is any other video of the incident.
James Long: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know
James Long has been identified as the Chicago Department of Aviation security officer who dragged United passenger David Dao off a flight on April 9.
2. Edwards’ Family’s Attorney Says the Police Account of the Shooting ‘Will Not Hold Water When the Facts Come Out’
Jordan Edwards. (Facebook)
Lee Merritt, the attorney representing Jordan Edwards’ family, has said the police version of events is not what actually happened.
He told the Dallas Morning News the claim the car was driving aggressively at officers “will not hold water when the facts come out.”
He said Jordan was leaving a party with his friends and were trying to escape from gunfire when the shooting occurred.
“They were simply leaving a party where they believed danger was,” Merritt told KTVT-TV.”So I can’t wrap my mind around why an officer decided to shoot into the car.”
Merritt, of Dallas-based Merritt Law Firm, is also representing a Texas mother, Jacqueline Craig, and her family, who claim their civil rights were violated by a Fort Worth police officer in January.
“We want this to stop happening. Every other modern nation in the world has figured out how to police their citizen without killing so many of them,” Merritt said on Facebook. “Specifically, the killing of UNARMED, BLACK, YOUTH and the common “justifications” offered are unacceptable and infuriating.
“We demand justice for #JordanEdwards We demand a change,” Merritt said.
Officer William Martin: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know
Officer William Martin was suspended for 10 days for the arrest of Jacqueline Craig and her daughters in Fort Worth, Texas. Body camera video of the arrest has now been released.
3. He Was a Freshman at Mesquite High School Who Loved to Play Football & Was a ‘Straight A Student,’ His Family & Friends Say
(Facebook)
Jordan Edwards was a freshman at Mesquite High School and loved to play football, his family and friends said.
Jeff Fleener, the head football coach at the school, told the Dallas Morning News he is “crushed and heartbroken” by Jordan’s death, saying the teen was never in trouble and had a GPA over 3.5. Fleener said Jordan played on the freshman football team and he had a “smile that could light up a room.”
“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 newspaper. “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.”
Rip Jordan Edwards
A longtime family friend, Robbin McDonald, told KDFW-TV that Jordan “was a straight A student, I can tell you he was always smiling. I can tell you he was a very, very brilliant and humble and very sweet kid.”
His former football coach, Kim Hickman, told KXAS-TV, “I’m hurt devastated, I mean, I love that kid it hit home, when i heard it, it hit home, it’s sad.”
At 10p hear from 15-y-o Jordan Edwards’ former coaches who remember the young football player as full of promise
Jordan’s friend, 13-year-old Chris Cano Jr., told the Dallas Morning News, “it shouldn’t have happened to him.”
Cano’s father, Chris Cano Sr., who knew Jordan from when the boy was 6, told the newspaper, “It could have easily been my son. He said Jordan was “not a thug, and he had great parents.”
The school district issued a statement about Jordan’s death.
“Mesquite ISD’s deepest sympathies and prayers are with the family and friends of this young man who tragically lost his life late Saturday evening,” the school district said. “He was a good student who was very well liked by his teachers, coaches and his fellow students. The entire district — especially the staff and students of Mesquite High School — are mourning this terrible loss.”
The school district said it had counselors on hand to talk to students.
Fleener told the Dallas Morning News he had a hard time talking to adults and an even harder time talking to students about Jordan on Monday.
“I went from sad to sick to my stomach to angry to praying to asking why,” Fleener told the newspaper. “They needed to understand it was OK to have those feelings and that we were going to get through this together.”
Michaella Surat: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know
Michaella Surat, a 22-year-old Colorado State student, was slammed down while she was being arrested by Fort Collins Police. Video of the incident has gone viral.
4. The City’s Police Chief Met With Edwards’ Family & Offered Condolences to Them
Waiting for news conference on Balch Springs officer involved shooting
Balch Springs Police Chief Jonathan Haber held a press conference on Sunday and said he has spoken to Jordan Edwards’ family.
“We express our deep and sincere condolences to the family,” Haber said, according to KDFW-TV. “I have reached out and personally met and spoken with the parents and expressed my condolences.”
“On behalf of the entire Balch Springs Police Department, and the city of Balch Springs we express our deep, sincere condolences to the family,” he said. “.”
“We will continue to reach out to the parents and keep them informed as we move forward from this point,” Huber said.
Lee Merritt told the Dallas Morning News the family wants the officer who shot and killed Jordan to be arrested and charged. The officer has not yet been identified.
Edwards’ family has not spoken publicly about the shooting.
Christian Dorscht: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know
Christian Dorscht, 13, had a gun pulled on him by an off-duty LAPD officer during a struggle in Anaheim. A video shows the officer firing a shot during the incident.
5. The Dallas County Sheriff’s Office Is Investigating the Shooting & the Officer Has Been Placed on Paid Leave
Jordan Edwards. (Facebook)
The Dallas County Sheriff’s Office will be investigating the shooting, Balch Springs Police said. The sheriff’s office has not yet commented about the incident. They have launched a criminal investigation.
The Public Integrity Unit of the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office’s will also be investigating. District Attorney Faith Johnson issued a statement about the shooting on Monday:
The Dallas County District Attorney’s Office’s Public Integrity Unit includes a specialized group of experienced attorneys and investigators. The Civil Rights Team responds to all officer involved shooting in Dallas County to conduct an impartial and independent investigation. As such, the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office is investigating the death of Jordan Edwards. We offer our sincere condolences to Jordan’s family and will continue to keep them in our thoughts and prayers as we move forward expeditiously, with a commitment to justice and transparency.
The officer has not yet been identified. He has been placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.
Attorney Lee Merritt told the Dallas Morning News he hopes the investigation will be objective since it is being handled by the county sheriff’s office and not internally.
An internal investigation is also being completed. All officers in the department wear body cameras and all vehicles have dashboard cameras, according to KXAS-TV, but it is not clear if there is video showing the shooting. No video has been released.
Merritt has called for the videos to be made public and for the officer’s name to be released.
He said, “The facts will bear out the truth and on behalf of the family we demand transparency with all facts and evidence involved. The family is calling on the community to stand with them, resolute in the demand for justice.”
Merritt said Edwards “was a student athlete who was loved by his family and peers alike. The family is truly devastated by this senseless killing and is calling on a thorough investigation, which should lead to the termination of the officer and criminal charges filed against him for his reckless conduct and disregard for life. Based on witness accounts of the incident, there simply was no justifiable and/or lawful reason for the officer to fire at an occupied vehicle.
Anyone can join.
Anyone can contribute.
Anyone can become informed about their world.
"United We Stand" Click Here To Create Your Personal Citizen Journalist Account Today, Be Sure To Invite Your Friends.
Please Help Support BeforeitsNews by trying our Natural Health Products below!
Order by Phone at 888-809-8385 or online at https://mitocopper.com M - F 9am to 5pm EST
Order by Phone at 866-388-7003 or online at https://www.herbanomic.com M - F 9am to 5pm EST
Order by Phone at 866-388-7003 or online at https://www.herbanomics.com M - F 9am to 5pm EST
Humic & Fulvic Trace Minerals Complex - Nature's most important supplement! Vivid Dreams again!
HNEX HydroNano EXtracellular Water - Improve immune system health and reduce inflammation.
Ultimate Clinical Potency Curcumin - Natural pain relief, reduce inflammation and so much more.
MitoCopper - Bioavailable Copper destroys pathogens and gives you more energy. (See Blood Video)
Oxy Powder - Natural Colon Cleanser! Cleans out toxic buildup with oxygen!
Nascent Iodine - Promotes detoxification, mental focus and thyroid health.
Smart Meter Cover - Reduces Smart Meter radiation by 96%! (See Video).
| Online: | |
| Visits: | 1,602,639,648 |
| Stories: | 8,147,532 |
Whistler Blowers, Insiders
Sounds like police need to understand that it has to be a life threatening situation that calls for aggressive responses. A car hitting it’s break lights is not life threatening. It’s a tuff job, but this shooting wasn’t a solution, it was a travesty.