Family want officer who shot black teen charged with crime

BALCH SPRINGS, Texas (AP) — Police in suburban Dallas fired the officer who shot and killed a black 15-year-old boy riding in a vehicle leaving a party, and family members of the teenager said they want criminal charges filed against the officer.

The Balch Springs, Texas, officer, identified as Roy Oliver, was terminated on Tuesday for violating department policies in the shooting death of Jordan Edwards, police chief Jonathan Haber said.

Thousands of Facebook and Twitter users have posted about the case in recent days with the hashtag "#jordanedwards," some comparing his death to other police shootings of young black men, such as 12-year-old Tamir Rice in Cleveland, who was fatally shot in November 2014 as he held a pellet gun.

The police department's latest statement, released Tuesday night, says officers entering the house heard gunshots ring out during a "chaotic scene with numerous people running away from the location."

Edwards and the four people with him decided to leave what was becoming an unruly party as they heard gunfire and police were arriving, Merritt said, citing what witnesses had told lawyers.