Dozens Call For Arlington Officer's Firing
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ARLINGTON (CBSDFW.COM) -Three days after a 19 year old burglary suspect was shot and killed by an Arlington Police officer, about 60 people gathered outside police headquarters calling for him to be fired.
"Cut your ties with officer Miller now!" demanded Collette Flanagan, founder of Mothers Against Police Brutality.
Christian Taylor, the man killed by officer Miller was remember with a moment of silence.
Holding a sign that read "Honor Christian Taylor," was his 16 year old cousin, Jaylen McCray.
"It's unreal. I was just talking to him the other month, McCray said.
Family and supporters acknowledge the 19 year old broke the law and say it's not the man they knew.
Taylor could be seen on surveillance video kicking in a car windshield, then driving his SUV through a glass wall into the lobby of the Arlington dealership.
"He vandalized but he didn't deserve to die for what he did," said McCray.
On Monday, the FBI said it would not be helping in the investigation.
"The Dallas FBI has been in contact with the Arlington Police Department. Based upon that contact, the Dallas FBI has full confidence in the ability of the Arlington Police Department and Tarrant County District Attorney's Office to conduct a thorough investigation of this matter,"
explained FBI Public Affairs Specialist Allison Mahan, in a statement.
"If in the course of the investigation, information comes to light of a potential federal civil rights violation, the FBI is prepared to investigate," the statement went on to say.
Jarvis Wright, with the organization We Make Real Men, says he wants an independent investigation.
"We believe that needs to happen because when a life has been lost and it's someone that's unarmed, that's got to be investigated," Wright said.
Arlington's Police Chief has vowed transparency in the case.
Monday the department released full raw radio dispatch calls from that night.
It was a direct response to a YouTube video that claimed Taylor was shot just a second after police made contact with him.
Police say the video that went viral "grossly misrepresents the facts."
According to the calls released by Arlington police, just over 2 minutes elapse between the moment police are heard spotting a suspect and the moment an officer is heard saying, "We've got shots fired."
With no video of what happened during those 2 minutes, Taylor's family members still have a lot of unanswered questions.
"We just want justice," said Richard McCray, another one of Taylor's cousins.
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