A Texas cop shot and killed a 15-year-old boy named Jordan Edwards Saturday night, claiming the boy was inside a car that was driving in an “aggressive manner” towards another officer.
But that’s the same old excuse police always use when they shoot into moving cars; an overused cop cliche that has been proven false many times by video evidence.
And it will likely be proven false here once the Balch Springs Police Department release body and dash cam videos from the incident that took place around 11 p.m. in a suburb outside Dallas.
How do we know?
For starters, the gunshot that struck Jordan Edwards in the head as he was sitting in the passengers seat did nothing to stop the car.
In fact, it was not until the driver of the car, the boy’s older brother, noticed smoke coming from his brother’s head after driving another block that he realized something was wrong, according to an attorney for the family.
The brother then stopped the car and flagged down an officer, civil rights attorney Lee Merritt told the Washington Post.
When was the last time you’ve seen a fleeing suspect stop his car and flag down a cop for help?
But this is how the Balch Springs Police Department justified the shooting:
“There was an unknown altercation with a vehicle backing down the street towards the officers in an aggressive manner. An officer shot at the vehicle striking the front seat passenger.”
So even the cops admit they had no clue what was going on referring to it as an “unknown altercation.” And even the cops do not dispute the attorney’s claim that the boy’s brother flagged down an officer.
Had the cops truly believed the car was a danger to officers, they would have continued shooting the car until it came to a complete stop or at least ordered everybody out at gunpoint with the usual yelling and threatening.
Balch Springs police have yet to release the name of the officer, but said he used a rifle to shoot at the car after they responded to a 911 car about underage kids drinking outside of a house party.
Police say they heard gunfire after arriving at the scene, but have not said anything about arresting anybody for shooting guns, so for all we know, it was just a car backfiring.
But Merritt also said the teens heard gunshots, which is why they decided to leave the party, according to the Washington Post.
In a phone interview with The Washington Post on Sunday night, Merritt said Jordan, his 16-year-old brother and three other teen boys were at a party on Baron Drive when they learned that police were on the way.
They went to the car parked outside and saw flashlights and heard gunshots, Merritt said. As they climbed into the car, the teens apparently heard somebody yell profanities. Then they were being fired upon.
They fled for about a block, Merritt said, before they noticed there was smoke coming from Jordan’s head. The driver of the car, the boy’s older brother, stopped the car and they flagged down an approaching police cruiser for help.
Several of the teens played on the football team together. Jordan was going through spring training for next year’s season.
“They’re never going to be the same,” Merritt said. “These kids are never going to be the same.”
Although police were responding to a call about teens drinking, neither Edwards, his brother or the three other teens had been drinking, the attorney said. Neither were not cited for drinking or any other crimes.
Federal guidelines recommend against cops shooting into moving cars because it’s too risky to strike an innocent party, but the practice continues because cops know they can get away with it by claiming they were in fear for their lives.
Let’s not forget the case of Samantha Ramsey, the 19-year-old Kentucky girl who was shot and killed by a deputy while trying to leave a party in 2014
Boone County sheriff’s deputy Tyler Brockman gave the same old spiel about fearing for his life, claiming the car was headed directly towards him.
But dash cam video shows he placed himself in front of her car as she drove away, eventually jumping on her hood and opening fire, later claiming he was holding on to dear life as she sped down the road.
A grand jury cleared Brockman for that killing in 2014 despite the video evidence proving he was out of harm’s way before he opened fire.
However, Boone County ended up settling with the family for $3.5 million in December 2016.
The Balch Springs Police Department says every patrol car is equipped with a dash cam and every officer is equipped with a body cam. And they have yet to claim the cameras were not operating at the time of the shooting, which is another common lie.
So hopefully it won’t be long until we can see through their lies.
Read the full press release below.
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