Police audio leaked in killing of Christian Taylor

Updated
Police Audio Leaked In Killing Of Christian Taylor
Police Audio Leaked In Killing Of Christian Taylor



Audio of the 911 call from the night Christian Taylor was shot and killed by a rookie police officer has surfaced.

Arlington, Texas police say the 19-year-old broke into a car dealership Friday night and allegedly attempted to burglarize several cars before crashing an SUV into a showroom. When officers responded, they claim they confronted the suspect and he did not obey commands to surrender. Officer Brad Miller, who was still in training, opened fire on the unarmed teen, killing him.

"I just saw a guy in the building that has a hat on, a straw hat."

"Whoa, we got shots fired!"

"Make sure they're called, make sure they're called!"

The Root explains that a reform activist known as T.K. Connor obtained the audio and posted it on YouTube. The description explains, "In the audio we can clearly hear he was shot within 1.3 seconds of police seeing him. Arlington Police claim there was a struggle... And a fight.... But that is impossible in 1.3 seconds."

The Arlington Police Department told The Huffington Post they have not released the audio file and "cannot speak to the validity of this video or source." They added that "It's possible that someone obtained portions of the audio from a police scanner website."

Surveillance video of that night that shows the moments before Taylor's death has also been released.

In it the teenager is seen hopping on a car, stomping on its windshield.

At a press conference Saturday night, Arlington Police Chief Will Johnson said audio and video of the incident wouldn't be released until all statements have been made, which could take between 7 to 10 days.

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