Grand Jury Takes No Action Against Former Officer Who Killed Teen
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FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) - A Tarrant County grand jury voted to take no action against former Arlington police officer Brad Miller.
"Today, the Tarrant County Grand Jury voted to take no action against former Arlington police officer Brad Miller arising from the August 2015 incident which resulted in the death of Christian Taylor," said Criminal District Attorney Sharen Wilson in a statement. "We respect the Grand Jurors' decision and appreciate the time they have committed to serve the citizens of our County."
Miller's attorneys John Snider and Robert Rogers released the following statement:
We would like to thank the members of the grand jury for their service and for their diligence in taking the necessary time to thoroughly consider all the facts before making a decision. Too often, police officers' decisions are judged without proper consideration of the tense and dangerous situations they face. Brad Miller, like many other police officers, was forced to make a split-second decision to protect his life and the lives of his fellow officers. The grand jury made the right decision.
The Arlington Police Department said it has no comment on the matter.
Taylor's family declined to comment Wednesday afternoon. But an attorney for the family, Michael Heiskell told CBS11, "They are distraught and understandably upset… they're gathering at home to comfort each other in this upsetting time."
Heiskell also said Brad Miller "acted in a rogue capacity and decided to confront Christian alone despite 10 other officers being in the vicinity."
The grand jury had been listening to testimony since last month.
Miller, a rookie police officer, shot and killed 19-year-old Christian Taylor in August 2015 during a break-in at an auto dealership in Arlington. The teenage college football player was unarmed at the time of the shooting.
Miller was still in training, but was fired from his job four days later. Chief Will Johnson with the Arlington Police Department said that the officer used inappropriate judgment when he responded to the burglary call.
Security video from the dealership showed Taylor breaking out the windshield of a vehicle on the lot and then driving his own car into the glass showroom windows. There isn't any video of the actual shooting. According to police, Miller commanded Taylor to get on the ground, but the teen cursed at the 49-year-old officer and started advancing toward him.
Taylor was about 10 feet away from Miller when the officer fired a shot, Johnson stated. The teen continued his approach, and Miller's training officer then shot Taylor with a Taser. Miller fired his gun three more times, killing the teen. The entire ordeal lasted only a few seconds.
Prior to the interaction, Taylor held up a set of car keys and told another officer that he intended to steal a car, Johnson said.
Law enforcement expert Pete Schulte, a former police officer and now attorney, talked to CBS11 about what the no bill means for Miller and if he can get his job back.
