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A Tarrant County grand jury declined to indict Brad Miller, the White officer who shot and killed Christian Taylor, 19, an unarmed Black teen, reports the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Police did not file charges against Miller, but instead referred the case to a grand jury to determine whether the rookie cop would be indicted.

Miller, along with five other officers, encountered Taylor last August after responding to an alarm set off at Classic Arlington, a local car dealership. Moments before, Taylor drove his car through the dealership window and was found vandalizing cars in the parking lot.

Officers tried restraining the teen, but Taylor broke free and ran. Miller fired four shots, striking him in the neck and chest, according to the Dallas Observer.

According to the Star-Telegram, an autopsy report found traces of marijuana and the synthetic drug “N-Bomb,” which mimics the effects of LSD, in the former Angelo State University football player’s system.

Miller was fired soon after an internal investigation found him negligent in following procedures.

Taylor was killed just two days short of the one-year anniversary of Michael Brown’s death in Ferguson, Missouri, igniting frustration and outrage across the nation in regards to police-involved shootings and unarmed African Americans.

Mike Heiskell, an attorney for the family says they are devastated by the decision and only hoped to seek justice for Taylor.

“We were hoping and praying for (Miller) to be held accountable in criminal court for the unprincipled way he conducted himself, which led him to fire his Glock 9 mm into an unarmed Christian four separate times,” Heiskell said. “Those hopes have been dashed.”

SOURCES: Fort Worth Star-TelegramDallas Observer | PHOTO CREDIT: Getty

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