Arlington, Texas, police officer Bau Tran has been fired days after he was charged with criminally negligent homicide for shooting and killing 24-year-old OβShae Terry during a traffic stop in 2018, according to the Associated Press.
Tran may appeal his dismissal. He has yet to enter a plea in his criminal case. While Terryβs death was overshadowed by more prominent cases last year, Tranβs firing has brought attention to the shooting.
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Terry was killed on Sept. 1, after another officer pulled him over for a registration violation. After talking for a few minutes, body cam footage shows Tran grab the passenger-side window of Terryβs SUV while it rolls up before stepping onto the vehicleβs running board, pointing his gun into the truck and firing multiple shots.
Terry was pronounced dead at a hospital after he was shot, while another passenger was uninjured. Tran was placed on restriction after the shooting, then placed on leave when a grand jury indicted him earlier this month.
Lee Merritt, an attorney for Terryβs estate, called the indictment a βhuge reliefβ for the family, though less than what theyβd hoped for.
βWe are certainly happy that there will be a chance for some form of justice in this case,β Merritt told the AP. βBut if anyone else had done this it would have been murder.β
In a statement issued after learning of the indictment, the Arlington Police Department said the indictment was an additional factual piece of information to consider by those responsible for the administrative investigation of this incident,β according to a local CBS affiliate.
βThe department is dedicated to ensuring that due process is afforded to all parties throughout the investigation,β the statement added.
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