A policeman who killed an unarmed black teenager during a suspected burglary at a Texas car dealership last week has been fired for “making decisions that had catastrophic outcomes”, the city’s police chief said.
Arlington officer Brad Miller, 49, could also face criminal charges once police complete their investigation, Will Johnson, the police chief, said.
Johnson said Miller caused a deadly confrontation that put him and other officers in danger.
The death of Christian Taylor, 19, came two days before the anniversary of the death of Michael Brown, an unarmed, black 18-year-old who was fatally shot by a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri.
Brown’s death helped spur protests and a nationwide “Black Lives Matter” movement to demand reforms to how police treat minorities.
Called to the scene of a suspected burglary early on Friday, Miller pursued the college footballer through the broken glass doors of a car dealership showroom without telling his supervising officer, Johnson said.
Instead of setting up a perimeter around the showroom, Miller confronted Taylor and ordered him to get down on the ground, Johnson said. Taylor did not comply. Instead, he began “actively advancing towards Officer Miller,” Johnson said.
- ALJAZEERA
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