(CNN) — A former police officer in the Dallas suburb of Balch Springs was found guilty of murder Tuesday in the shooting of Jordan Edwards, an unarmed black teen who was a passenger in a car that had left a party. The Dallas County, Texas, jury convicted Roy Oliver of murder but found him not guilty of two lesser charges in the honor student’s death. Edwards’ family rejoiced after the guilty verdict was read, CNN affiliate KTVT reported. The sentencing phase began after the verdict and will resume Wednesday morning. Prosecutors told jurors that Edwards did not deserve to die. “This innocent kid was not doing anything wrong, nothing,” said prosecutor Mike Snipes, according to KTVT. Balch Springs PD Facebook Roy Oliver Jordan’s shooting was one of several recent deaths of African-American men at the hands of police, which have sparked national protests and a debate on police conduct. Oliver, who is white, “discharged multiple rounds from his patrol rifle as the vehicle drove past him,” according to an arrest warrant. One bullet struck Jordan as the teenager rode in the car with a group, including two brothers. The five were driving away from a house party in April 2017 after reportedly hearing shots. Jordan, a standout athlete at Mesquite High School near Dallas, died from a fatal gunshot wound to the head, the Dallas County medical examiner’s office said. Police Chief Jonathan Haber fired Oliver, a 6-year veteran of the department, shortly after the shooting, with the department saying the officer “violated several departmental policies.” The firing came a day after Haber admitted he “misspoke” when he said the car Jordan was in was moving “aggressively” toward police – leading one officer to fire his rifle toward the car. Haber later said the body camera footage showed the car was driving forward – away from the officers, not reversing toward them. At the time of Oliver’s arrest, a spokeswoman for the Dallas County Sheriff’s Department said the arrest warrant was issued because evidence suggested Oliver “intended to cause serious bodily injury and commit an act clearly dangerous to human life that caused the death of an individual.” The shooting death of Edwards was one of several deaths of black males at the hands of police nationwide. The deaths have spawned protests and fueled a national conversation on police conduct. CNN’s Jessica Suerth contributed to this report.<doc-sep>DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) – After nearly 13 hours of deliberations, a Dallas County jury found former Balch Springs police officer Roy Oliver guilty in the murder of Jordan Edwards. Oliver was found not guilty of the lesser charges of manslaughter and aggravated assault. Edwards’ family rejoiced in hugs and tears after the judge read the guilty verdict. Someone was heard saying, “Thank you Jesus” after the verdict. “I just want to say I’m happy. It’s been a hard year. I’m just really happy,” said Jordan’s father Odell Edwards. “We are just happy in Dallas that Roy Oliver is going to have to do his time for Jordan. What he did on that night should’ve never happened, and we’re happy we got justice today.” “Odell and I were talking and we said we don’t want another parent to have to go through what this family has had to deal with,” said Edwards’ family attorney Daryl Washington. “This case just isn’t about Jordan, it’s Tamir Rice, Walter Scott, Alton Sterling, for every African American who didn’t get justice.” WATCH THE READING OF THE VERDICT HERE: Oliver now faces five to 99 years in prison. The punishment phase began about 30 minutes after the judge read the verdict. It will continue at 9:00 a.m. Wednesday. Governor Greg Abbott reacted to the verdict saying on Twitter, “This life should never have been lost,” referring to Edwards. Sharon Watkins Jones, political strategies director for the ACLU of Texas, had this reaction: “We rely on police officers to keep us safe and to use their powers judiciously and fairly. There is a long history in this country of failing to hold law enforcement responsible for even the gravest abuses of power. The prosecution of Roy Oliver and today’s guilty verdict send a powerful message: Roy Oliver’s actions were murder, and he will be held accountable.” Sara Mokura of Mothers Against Police Brutality said of the verdict, “It sends a message to other officers, it also sends a message to DA’s: you need to try these cases… It is a signal that there can be and will be accountability for police officers when they do wrong in our communities.” The Dallas NAACP issued the following statement Tuesday evening: “While our hearts are still heavy in thinking about the premature loss of such a phenomenal young man, we are thankful the jury rendered a guilty verdict in the murder trial of Roy Oliver. Immediately following the tragic murder of Jordan Edwards, we demanded that Roy Oliver be tried in a court of law and be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. Today, that happened and Roy Oliver was convicted of murdering Jordan Edwards, thus, robbing him of all of the promise and potential that was in store for him. We continue to pray for the family of Jordan Edwards and stand in solidarity with the community in wrapping our arms around the family and friends of Jordan Edwards as they bring closure to this part of their journey for justice for Jordan.” Closing arguments wrapped up Monday. Jurors heard emotional closing arguments from Oliver’s defense attorneys and prosecutors. The opposing sides painted two very different pictures of the former police officer: one of a protector, another of a murderer. During closing arguments Dallas County prosecutors told the jury Jordan Edwards did not deserve to die. The 15-year-old, high school freshman was in the front passenger seat of a car full of teens that were driving away from a party in April of 2017, when Oliver fired a rifle at the car. After the shooting Oliver lost his job with the Balch Springs Police Department and was later indicted by a grand jury. “This innocent kid was not doing anything wrong, nothing. He deserved the opportunity to go to college,” prosecutor Mike Snipes said. “He deserved the opportunity to make Odell Edwards a grandfather, and you took that away from him. You murdered him.” Oliver’s defense team countered that their client shot out of fear for his partner’s safety. Attorney Jim Lane told jurors, “This case boils down to a shoot or no shoot situation. We have to look at it from the eyes of this officer, the moment he made that decision.”<doc-sep>
DALLAS — A white former Texas police officer has been found guilty of murder on Tuesday for fatally shooting an unarmed black teenager as he left a house party in a car full of teenagers. Roy Oliver was fired from the Balch Springs Police Department days after the April 2017 shooting. Oliver killed 15-year-old Jordan Edwards after the then-officer fired into a moving car carrying five black teenagers leaving a local house party. Edwards was in the front passenger seat. Oliver was found not guilty of lesser charges manslaughter and aggravated assault, CBS DFW reports. Oliver testified during the Dallas County trial that he opened fire after seeing the car move toward his partner. He says he thought his partner was in danger. But his partner told jurors he didn't fear for his life and never felt the need to fire his weapon. Jordan Edwards CBS News The shooting launched the Dallas suburb of Balch Springs into a national conversation on issues of law enforcement and race. Experts said ahead of the trial that securing convictions against an officer was challenging, in part because criminal culpability in on-duty shootings is subjective and jurors are more inclined to believe police testimony. In closing arguments, defense attorneys told the jury they needed to evaluate the circumstances from Oliver's viewpoint and from what the former officer knew at the time. But prosecutors described Oliver as out of control and looking for a reason to kill. They argued that his firing into the car wasn't reasonable. The shooting came after Oliver and his partner, Tyler Gross, had broken up a large house party following a report of underage drinking. Both officers were inside the residence when they heard gunfire outside and responded. Authorities later determined the shots were fired near a nursing home in the area. Roy Oliver's mugshot after he turned himself into authorities in Parker County, Texas. Parker County Sheriff's Office Oliver retrieved his rifle and went toward Gross, who was ordering the car carrying Edwards to stop. Oliver testified that he saw the car back up and stop for a second before moving forward and going toward Gross. Testifying in his own defense, Oliver told the jury the car was about to hit his partner. Oliver said he felt he had no other option but to fire. Gross, however, testified that he did not fear for his life and never felt the need to fire his weapon. He also said he didn't feel like the vehicle was trying to hit him. Prosecutors said Oliver fired after the vehicle passed Gross. Investigators also said no guns were found in the teens' vehicle.