Funeral held for 19-year-old killed by Texas police officer

More than 1,000 mourners attended a funeral on Saturday for Christian Taylor, an unarmed 19-year-old African American fatally shot by a white officer in Texas in an incident that raised fresh attention of police treatment of racial minorities.

Joshua Rashad Taylor (right) becomes emotional while joined on the stage by Adrian James Taylor as they speak about their brother, Christian Taylor, during the funeral service of Taylor at the Koinonia Christian Church in Arlington Saturday.

Christian Taylor, who would have been returning to Angelo State University in San Angelo, Texas as a sophomore in the fall semester, was described by classmates as “religious” and “a very positive young man”.

The Arlington Police is “in dialogue” with the FBI and sharing information about the investigation, the police chief said. Security footage from the lot shows Taylor breaking out the windshield of a auto on the lot and then driving his vehicle into the glass showroom.

“He’s not lost”, a pastor said of Taylor, who was shot during a confrontation with Officer Brad Miller.

Taylor said he doesn’t know what the teen was thinking when he broke into the dealership and, like everyone else, wonders if Christian was under the influence of drugs or alcohol. I have decided to terminate officer miller’s employment with the Arlington police department for exercising poor judgment.

Goines also had a jab at the former officer, saying he was quick to draw his gun and fire at the unarmed teenager.

Drawing on his military experience, Goines suggested officers in training, like the one who killed Christian Taylor, should not be armed with live ammunition, but he said talk of reforms should continue another day. Then he turned around and began to “rapidly approach the officer while cursing,” Johnson said. It’s just something you can’t take back.

Taylor’s death 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, and is the latest in a series of incidents in which black men have been killed by police. “We’re both losers. I feel for him and I pray for him”.

Taylor’s unhappiness sprang from disappointment over not being able to say what he yearned to say, Goines said.

“Sometimes when you don’t know what to say, you just kind of keep waiting”, Pride said. “It’s going to take a long, long time – if ever – for me to get over that”, said Josh.

In one of his last conversations with Taylor, Wagner recalled, the college student said he wanted to make a difference.

Before the funeral, a man who identified himself as a friend of the Taylor family said the death was a tragedy because it could have been avoided.

But Johnson added that he had “serious concerns” over whether the Miller’s decision to use deadly force was warranted. Johnson urged parents to instruct their children to comply with the officer’s directions. “So we can’t afford to sit on the sidelines anymore”.