Texas police change story on the lead-up to the death of unarmed 15-year-old

A Texas police chief has changed his interpretation of events that led to the death of an unarmed 15-year-old boy who was shot by a police officer over the weekend, The New York Times reports. The police department of Balch Springs, Texas, originally argued Sunday that the boy, Jordan Edwards, was fired upon because he was the passenger in a car that was reversing toward an officer in an "aggressive manner." On Monday, police chief Jonathan Haber said that the car was actually "moving forward as the officers approached."

"It did not meet our core values," Haber added.

Edwards was an honor student and freshman at Mesquite High School. He was attending a house party when police responded to reports of underage drinking. Edwards was with four other teens in the car leaving the party when he was fatally shot in the head.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

The Balch Springs police department discourages officers from ever shooting at cars, leading to more confusion around the incident. "Even if cops need to shoot at a moving car, they're encouraged to only shoot at the driver — only if there's an immediate threat to someone's life," the New York Daily News reports.