Media Contact

Imelda Mejia, ACLU of Texas, 317-751-3014,[email protected]

August 28, 2018

DALLAS — After 12 hours of deliberations, a Dallas County jury today found former Balch Spring Police Department officer Roy Oliver guilty of murder in the death of 15-year-old Jordan Edwards. In April 2017, Oliver was on-duty when he fired his rifle at a vehicle in which Edwards was a passenger.

Sharon Watkins Jones, political strategies director for the ACLU of Texas, had this reaction:

“We rely on police officers to keep us safe and to use their powers judiciously and fairly. There is a long history in this country of failing to hold law enforcement responsible for even the gravest abuses of power. The prosecution of Roy Oliver and today’s guilty verdict send a powerful message: Roy Oliver’s actions were murder, and he will be held accountable.”