FBI asked to assist probe of Texas football player’s death

The story grabbed headlines on social media as the hashtag #ChristianTaylor became a trending topic nationwide.

Police identified the officer as Brad Miller, a 49-year-old who has been with the department since last September and who has been working under the supervision of a training officer since his graduation from the police academy in March.

Friday’s shooting came just days before the one-year anniversary of the police shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson – another unarmed black teenager.

At a press conference Saturday night, Arlington Police Chief Will Johnson said audio and video of the incident wouldn’t be released until all statements have been made, which could take between 7 to 10 days. Independent criminal and administrative investigations will be completed, according to the police statement.

“This occasion has not occurred in isolation however fairly it has occurred as our nation has been wrestling with the subjects of social injustice, inequities, racism and police misconduct”, Arlington Police Chief Will Johnson stated at a information convention. The story the police told in the immediate aftermath had Taylor attempting to burglarize a vehicle dealership, while crashing his auto through the shop window.

The Washington Post reported (http://wapo.st/1gnNEhg) that D.C. Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier said Saturday that the woman had “multiple knives” and that no rigid rules determine how officers are to respond in such circumstances.

“What he was doing ain’t no way right”, he said.

There was some kind of confrontation, and a rookie, who was still in field training, shot Taylor. “During that time, there was an altercation and one of the officers drew his weapon, shots were fired, the suspect was hit.” Taylor was later fatally shot by police.

The camera later shows him walking away and then driving his vehicle out of frame, straight into a glass door. The officers arrive to the scene moments later. The security video shows someone slowly forcing an SUV through the gate.

Police were called at around 1am on Friday by a security company that had been observing the outside of the dealership.

He will be placed on administrative leave, which is routine in such cases.

“The facts available today do not answer all questions or alleviate all concerns”, Johnson said.

The Tarrant County medical examiner lists Taylor’s cause of death as gunshot wounds to the neck, chest and abdomen. A police investigation is now under way.

Arlington Police asked the FBI to help investigate the death of a black college student killed by a white police officer. Instead, Johnson said, he ran to the southwest corner of the building. Johnson said officers found 19-year-old Christian Taylor inside the showroom, and pursued him after he refused to surrender and tried to flee.

Two older brothers joined Taylor’s father and the pastor to share memories and messages about the athlete from the back of a pickup.

Adrian Taylor, Christian’s older brother, told the local NBC news affiliate KXAS-TV that the teen did not deserve to die.