The incident took place on April 29, 2017, in Balch Springs, Texas when Oliver was responding to a noise complaint tied to a house party Edwards was in attendance. The teen was riding with in the passenger seat of car leaving the party when Oliver fired his rifle into the vehicle. The former officer allged at trial he feared for his partner Tyler Gross, would be hit by the car, however, body camera footage showed the car going in a different direction, according to WFAA 8. In court, Gross testified he didn’t feel endangered.
Oliver was charged with murder and two counts of aggravated assault but was later acquitted of the latter charges. In August 2018, Oliver was sentenced to 15 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. The appeal used Garrity v. New Jersey, a 1967 ruling that protects cops and other public employees from incriminating themselves if their statement could result in termination according to the news station This caused the “Garrity Warning,” which requires public employees to be Mirandized like other suspects.
The court of appeals did not agree with Oliver’s assessment. While Oliver’s appeal was pending, four aggravated assault charges against him were dropped, however, they can be refiled in the future. Two of those counts were related to Edwards’ death, and the other two stem from him pointing a gun at a woman after a minor car accident. Oliver is required to serve seven and a half years before he is eligible for parole.
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