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Crime

Why Hasn’t Roy Oliver Been Indicted For Murdering Jordan Edwards Yet?

Send the case to the grand jury already.
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From the candlelight vigil for Jordan Edwards at Virgil T. Irwin Park in Balch Springs. (Photo by Zac Crain)

When I was working on my profile of Imam Omar Suleiman, during one of our interviews we talked about Jordan Edwards, the 15-year-old murdered by Balch Springs police officer Roy Oliver. The interview was just a few days after Jordan had been killed — in a car with his brothers, leaving a party — and there was going to be a candlelight vigil at a park in Balch Springs that night.

One of the things Omar and I talked about was the sort of second death Jordan’s parents would have to face, how defense attorneys would assassinate Jordan’s character, recast a likable straight-A student into something else entirely, combing through social media and using dog-whistle language until they could turn him into a thug who had it coming.

I’d like to think that got a lot harder based on the revelation from an unnamed law enforcement official who says there were no drugs or alcohol at the party Jordan and his brothers were at, and also the results of Jordan’s autopsy, which showed no drugs or alcohol were present in his system.

Reading Jennifer Emily’s story, which details the actions of Oliver and fellow officer Tyler Gross the night of April 29, I was struck by two questions: why has Oliver still not been indicted for Jordan Edwards’ murder, and how has Gross escaped pretty much all scrutiny? Second question first. From Emily’s reporting:

Jordan’s 16-year-old brother, Vidal Allen, couldn’t drive down Baron Drive because it was blocked by police, so he backed up onto Shepherd Lane, court records show.

Balch Springs Police Chief Jonathan Haber initially and wrongly said Oliver fired his rifle into the vehicle because the driver was aggressively backing up toward the officers. But Haber later said body camera video actually showed the car was driving forward.

Gross ordered the car to stop and broke the car’s window with his gun. Oliver fired his rifle into the front passenger window, striking Jordan in the head. The other four boys in the car were not hurt.

We have heard what Oliver did, but this is the first I’ve seen mention of Gross. I am no tactical expert, but I would not call that de-escalating the situation. It’s not enough to charge him, probably, but his role in this should not go without mention.

As for Oliver and his lack of an indictment — after two months have passed and after he’s been indicted on two unrelated charges of aggravated assault stemming from an alleged road rage incident just two weeks before he shot and killed Jordan — I have to assume that Dallas County DA Faith Johnson is trying to make sure the case is airtight. So that what happened in Minnesota with the trial in the Philando Castile shooting (officer Jeronimo Yanez was acquitted, even though video pretty clearly shows otherwise) does not happen here.

I hope that’s the reason for the hold up. And I hope that Johnson and her staff don’t wait much longer. Send the case to the grand jury. Prosecute Roy Oliver. Jordan and his family deserve justice.

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