A white former police officer was sentenced to 15 years in prison after being convicted of murder a day earlier for killing an unarmed 15-year-old boy when he fired into a car filled with black teenagers leaving a house party in suburban Dallas.
Roy Oliver's conviction Tuesday in the April 2017 death of Jordan Edwards was handed down by the same jury that delivered his punishment. He also was fined USD 10,000.
Prosecutors had sought a minimum of 60 years in prison.
Edwards' family praised prosecutors and the verdict but said the sentence was too lenient.
Charmaine Edwards, Jordan's stepmother, said of Oliver, "He can actually see life again after 15 years and that's not enough because Jordan can't see life again."
The Dallas-based group Mothers Against Police Brutality expressed dissatisfaction with the sentence, saying in a statement that what Oliver received "is not at all commensurate with his crime."
Oliver's wife also testified, saying in Spanish through an interpreter that she was concerned about their 3-year-old son, who is autistic. But the ex-officer's half sister took the stand against him, saying she felt compelled to do so after listening to testimony during the trial and that she hoped he "gets what he deserves."
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content