Who Is Jordan Edwards, 15-Year-Old Killed By Texas Police Officer?

Fifteen-year-old Jordan Edwards was fatally shot in the head by a Texas police officer after leaving a party Saturday. The Dallas County medical examiner said the death was a homicide resulting from a rifle wound to the head.

The 15-year-old was a freshman at Mesquite High School in Mesquite, Texas, a popular football player and academically gifted student. Edwards was leaving the party with some of his friends when police arrived to respond to a 911 call complaining of drunken juveniles.

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The Blach Springs Police Department originally said Edwards was in the passenger seat of a car that was moving towards officers in an “aggressive manner.” Police chief Jonathan Haber said Monday, however, that video from the scene showed just the opposite: that the car was “moving forward as the officers approached.”

Edwards, sitting in the passenger seat of the car, was killed by a shot to the head.

“There were no weapons involved; there was no aggressive behavior; these were not suspects,” said Lee Merritt, a lawyer for the Edwards family, according to the New York Times. “The lone motive they had for the murder was that the vehicle was being used as a weapon, and now that is no longer there.”

Jeff Fleener, Edwards’ high school football coach, praised Edwards as an athlete, a student and a friend.

“He was everybody’s friend – his attitude and smile, everything was just contagious about him,” said Fleener, according to the New York Times. “He was excellent – 3.5 GPA, never in trouble, no attendance issues. He was a kid that did everything right.”

Chris Cano, whose son played football with Edwards told local television station WFAA that Edwards was “a great kid.”

Edwards’ academic and athletic prowess was quickly cited by media outlets following his death, but decried on social media by those who said it shouldn’t matter.

“Please stop citing this young man’s GPA as if it signifies how much his life was worth. He should be alive today. Full stop. #JordanEdwards,” one user wrote.

“Don’t need to know his grades, his status in the community or among his peers to know he didn’t deserve to die. #JordanEdwards,” said another.

“The fact we even have to say 15 yrs, old, 3.5 GPA, never been in trouble, to prove his life was important says everything #BLM, #JordanEdwards,” another tweet said.

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The family’s lawyer commended the police chief for being willing to admit discrepancies with the department’s original statements and said the new revelations were “a big deal.”

“We’ve heard excuses before in the past: You know why it happens, because the dads aren’t present,” Merritt told the Dallas Morning News. “That excuse isn’t here. Or the kid was violent. That excuse isn’t present here.”