Texas police officer fired after fatal shooting of teen

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Christian Taylor broke into a car dealership on Friday, prompting police to respond.

Arlington Police Chief Will Johnson called Officer Brad Miller’s pursuit of the 19-year-old “questionable”.

Surveillance video shows Taylor jumping on vehicles in a car park and driving a car through a window into the showroom.

Taylor’s death is one of several cases under scrutiny in the US, in which an unarmed black person has died during an arrest or while in police custody.

Although Taylor – a student at Angelo State University in West Texas – failed to heed Mr Miller’s orders, Chief Johnson said that there was no physical contact between the officer and Taylor.

Mr Miller, a recent graduate of the city’s police academy, shot Taylor four times, killing him.

Chief Johnson said Mr Miller failed to follow police department policy and put himself and other officers in danger. The police chief said the officer “exercised poor judgement”.

Mr Miller, 49, has not been charged with any crime. However, police are still investigating and will turn over evidence to a grand jury, which will decide whether to charge him.

It is uncommon for a police officer in the US to be dismissed so quickly after a shooting involving the police. The investigative process normally takes months, which has frustrated victims’ families elsewhere.

However, amid months of nationwide protests over excess force by police, departments are becoming more aggressive in dealing with allegations of officer misconduct.

In April, North Charleston police officer Michael Slager was quickly fired and charged with murder after video surfaced showing him shooting a man in the back as he ran away.