Police Err In Statement On Balch Springs Teen's Shooting
Follow CBSDFW.COM: Facebook | Twitter
BALCH SPRINGS (CBSDFW.COM/AP) — The Balch Springs Police Chief said his department incorrectly described why an officer shot at a moving vehicle and killed a 15-year-old boy.
Chief Jonathan Haber said Monday that video contradicted his original statement about the Saturday night shooting that killed Jordan Edwards.
Edwards and four other teenagers were in a vehicle leaving a party when an officer fired at them.
Police first said the vehicle was backing up toward police at the scene "in an aggressive manner." But Haber said Monday that video shows the vehicle not reversing, but instead "moving forward as the officers approached."
Attorney Lee Merritt, who is representing the boy's family, says the shooting of Jordan, who was black, brings to mind other deaths of black people in encounters with police.
The race of the officer was not immediately released.
Haber called Monday for time to let authorities complete their investigations.
The Dallas County Medical Examiner confirms a rifle shot to the head as the preliminary cause of death.
The Dallas County Sheriff's Department is the lead agency for the criminal investigation.
(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
