Politics
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Roy Oliver, the Texas Cop Who Killed 15-Year-Old Jordan Edwards, Was Previously Suspended for Aggressive Behavior: Report
As the investigation continues into the death of 15-year-old Jordan Edwards, who was shot and killed by then-Balch Springs, Texas, Police Officer Roy Oliver, more and more details are coming to light. Recently, it was discovered that the prosecutor’s office had once filed a complaint about what it called Oliver’s aggressive behavior. According to personnel…
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Activist Convicted on Criminal Charges for Laughing at Jeff Sessions During His Confirmation Hearings
While the police officers responsible for killing Alton Sterling can rest easy tonight knowing that they will not face criminal charges for murder, an activist was convicted on criminal misdemeanor charges Wednesday for laughing during the confirmation hearings for U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions. On Jan. 10, 61-year-old Desiree Fairooz, Tighe Barry and Lenny Bianchi,…
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Police Officer Roy Oliver Fired for Fatally Shooting 15-Year-Old Jordan Edwards
Balch Springs, Texas, Police Officer Roy Oliver was fired Tuesday after fatally shooting 15-year-old Jordan Edwards Saturday night as the teen was leaving a party, the Dallas News reports. Jordan’s family released the following statement: We are grateful the decision has been made to terminate the officer responsible for Jordan’s murder. Over the past 24…
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Former SC Cop Pleads Guilty to Federal Charges in Fatal Shooting of Walter Scott
Updated Tuesday, May 2, 2017, 6:52 p.m. EDT: Michael Slager pleaded guilty Tuesday to violating Walter Scott’s civil rights. “We hope that Michael’s acceptance of responsibility will help the Scott family as they continue to grieve their loss,” said Andrew Savage, Slager’s defense attorney. There’s only one thing: Slager has not accepted responsibility. NPR reports…
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Baton Rouge, La., Police Officers Will Not Be Charged in Alton Sterling’s Death: Report
The Justice Department has decided not to charge the officers involved in the fatal shooting of Alton Sterling, according to the Washington Post. Sterling was shot July 5, 2016, after someone called to complain that Sterling was selling CDs out of a car in the parking lot of the Triple S Food Mart and had…
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Jordan Edwards’ Family Releases Statement: ‘Jordan’s Brothers Lost Their Best Friend’
The family of Jordan Edwards, the 15-year-old fatally shot Saturday night by a Balch Springs, Texas, police officer wielding a rifle, have released a statement to The Root via their attorney, S. Lee Merritt. Read the Edwards family’s full statement below: We would first like to thank everyone for their kind words, thoughts, prayers, and…
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Texas High School Football Team Mourns Loss of Jordan Edwards, 15-Year-Old Killed by Police
Monday morning was meant to be the first day of spring football practice at Mesquite (Texas) High School. Instead, a group of grieving high school athletes gathered in the hour before classes were scheduled to begin, mourning the loss of one of their very own, who lost his life in a police shooting. According to…
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Jordan Edwards Killing: Police Chief, on His Claim That Vehicle Was Backing Toward Officers Aggressively, Says ‘I Misspoke’
Updated Monday, May 1, 2017, 7:06 p.m. EDT: Balch Springs, Texas, Police Chief Jonathan Haber has retracted his earlier statement that the car in which Jordan Edwards, 15, was traveling Saturday night was “backing down the street toward officers in an aggressive manner,” which he initially claimed prompted a police officer to open fire with…
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Man Gets 15 Years for Shooting 5 BLM Activists Protesting Police Shooting Death of Jamar Clark
A Minnesota man who shot five Black Lives Matter protesters has been sentenced to 15 years in prison. CBS News reports that Allen Scarsella, 25, and his crew got into an argument with some protesters who were demonstrating outside a Minneapolis police station after the 2015 shooting death of 24-year-old Jamar Clark by police. Eyewitnesses…