Details of Jordan Edwards’ Police Shooting Death Change
Balch Springs Police Chief Jonathan Haber’s story about Jordan Edwards’ death has changed with new information. While Haber initially told the press that an officer fired into the car full of teenagers because it was driving in an “aggressive manner,” that wasn’t truly the case.
The New York Times reports that the car Edwards was riding in was actually driving away from the officers before they opened fire and struck him in the head. “There were no weapons involved; there was no aggressive behavior; these were not suspects,” said Lee Merritt, the attorney for Edwards’ family who had attested there was no wrongdoing on their part. “The lone motive they had for the murder was that the vehicle was being used as a weapon, and now that is no longer there.”
Merrit commended Haber’s admission of wrongdoing on the part of the police department and hopes that this means charges will be filed in the near future.
“They have a dead child, they have the identity of the shooter, and they have no explanation for the shooting,” Mr. Merritt said. “They have more than sufficient probable cause to make an arrest.”
Many people have come out to grieve the loss of yet another unarmed citizen, especially a Black teen. However, the narrative has been slightly sidetracked by the fact that Edwards was a good student. While this is absolutely worth celebrating, it should be noted that academic success doesn’t make any one life worth more or less than another. If the same thing happened to a high school dropout, the public outrage should be just as strong and focused as it is now.