A Texas jury sentenced an ex-police officer to 15 years in prison on Wednesday for killing Jordan Edwards, an unarmed Black teen in Dallas, CNN reports.
On top of the sentence, Roy Oliver, a former Balch Springs officer, was also fined $10,000 by jurors.
He was convicted on Tuesday for murdering the 15-year-old last April when he shot his gun into a car filled with teenagers after they left a party, alleging that the teens were driving the car aggressively toward his partner, something his partner denied.
Dallas County District Attorney Faith Johnson labeled the ex-cop a “killer in blue” and said she respects the jury’s decision, despite wanting a longer sentence for Oliver. Prosecutors argued for a sentence of at least 60 years, per CNN.
“We’re thankful for the verdict that we received, although we wanted more years. He actually can see life again after 15 years,” Charmain Edwards, Jordan’s stepmother, said at a press conference following the sentencing. “And that’s not enough because Jordan can’t see life again.” She added that she wished Oliver got “25 to 30 [years] or more” for the teen’s death.
Oliver will be eligible for parole after serving seven-and-a-half years, per reports.
“The Dallas DA’s office did something that has not been done around this country,” The Edwards’ family attorney Daryl Washington saidon Wednesday, according to ABC News. “They had the courage to take on the bad police officer, and, because of that, that in itself is a victory.”We believe that little boys and little girls are going to be able to go to teenage parties and feel like if they’re in danger they can go to police officers and not run away from police officers.”
Teddy is a multimedia journalist who serves as the culture and political writer for EBONY. His work has appeared in NBC's Owned and Operated stations, as well as DNAInfo, which covered local neighborhood news in New York City.
He received his Masters in Journalism from the Craig Newmark School of Journalism at CUNY in 2017.
