Earlier this week, Taylor told The Guardian about his troubles finding out any details behind his son’s death. We can then pray for the family, learn what happened and face all of the facts, whether they are popular or not. “We are both losers”.
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Will D. Johnson, the Arlington police chief, said Miller was fired for making mistakes in the fatal shooting, including entering the dealership without his more experienced partner, leading to “an environment of cascading consequences”.
As Wiggins approached the back corner where Miller stood, Taylor turned away from the locked door and approached the officers rapidly, Johnson said.
That system was in place for hundreds of Houston police shootings that didn’t result in any officer indictments.
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Police associations in Houston and Dallas also questioned Johnson’s swift firing decision. This was allegedly witnessed by Miller’s training officer who described himself as now standing about four feet from Miller.
An Arlington police officers’ advocacy group is appealing for fair treatment of an officer fired for his handling of a burglary call that ended in his shooting of an unarmed black college football player. He expressed sympathy for Miller’s family.
Johnson cited several examples of poor judgement in the incident as reasons for Officer Brad Miller’s termination.
“That’s what I do”, Taylor said of his nonprofit work. “I just hope it makes a change because this is happening too much”.
In the days since his son’s death, Taylor has complained of being kept in the dark by authorities. Contrary to initial reports, the shooting itself was not captured on video. However, his friends said he hadn’t been talking about the unrest in Ferguson recently. “I don’t know why he had to go then”.
Arlington police have stated officers arriving to a housebreaking name early Friday discovered Christian Taylor roaming contained in the showroom of the dealership.
While five of the officers remained outside of the showroom, Miller, a 49-year-old rookie who was still on probation and had no previous policing experience, pursued Taylor inside. He and Miller ordered Taylor to get on the ground.
Miller entered the dealership alone, without establishing a coordinated response with other officers, the chief said. Upon hearing the pop, Wiggins deployed his Taser. The chief says the rookie violated department policy by going right into the building right after tailor without even telling his training officer.
Subsequent deaths, including Freddie Gray who died after suffering an injury while in police custody in Baltimore and 12-year-old Tamir Rice who was shot dead in Cleveland while holding a pellet gun, have kept a focus on the use of force and calls for officers to be prosecuted when acting above the law.
During a Tuesday news conference, Johnson was clear that Miller’s termination was because of breached protocols and “poor judgment” that “helped create an unrecoverable outcome”.
It is unclear what role the FBI might play in the investigation of Miller’s actions but Johnson sounded a conciliatory tone Tuesday.
Police said there is no video of what transpired within the dealership, to their knowledge. “Our community is hurting, our department is certainly hurting and, quite frankly, our nation is hurting”.
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One of Taylor’s former classmates at Mansfield’s Summit High School, 20-year-old Matthew Higgins, said Miller’s firing is “not enough justice”.
