Texas police officer is fired after shooting black student dead

A rookie police officer who shot and killed a Texas college football player inside a car dealership in suburban Dallas has been fired.

Chief Will Johnson of the Arlington police said the officer, Brad Miller (49) had been fired for the "inappropriate judgment" in the fatal shooting of Christian Taylor (19). Johnson said Miller had entered the building without his partner, leading to an "an environment of cascading consequences".

Police had said that Taylor was shot on Friday as he tried to flee from officers who had been dispatched to the Arlington dealership after reports of a suspected burglary. The Tarrant County medical examiner found that Taylor had gunshot wounds to his neck, chest and abdomen.

At a news conference, Johnson said on Tuesday that Miller made bad decisions in communicating with other officers and initially approaching Taylor on his own without a plan for arrest. There were other officers on scene, the chief told reporters, including Miller’s training officer, who tried to use a Taser to subdue the suspect.

“Based on a preponderance of evidence available to me and facts revealed by the investigative team, I have decided to terminate Officer Miller’s employment with the Arlington Police Department for exercising poor judgment,” Johnson told a news conference.

New York Times service