On April 29, 2017, Officer Roy Oliver of the Balch Springs Police Department in Balch Springs, Texas, shot and killed 15-year-old Jordan Edwards (2001–2017) as he was leaving a party with his two brothers and two friends. The boys had been at a private party when somebody told the party goers that police were on the way, prompting them to leave. At 11:00 p.m., Officer Roy Oliver and Officer Tyler Gross arrived at the party on reports of underage drinking. While searching the house, they reportedly heard gunshots nearby and moved to where they thought they had heard the shots. Oliver retrieved his patrol rifle. Gross, with his weapon drawn, approached the moving car in which Jordan was a passenger and ordered it to stop. The car slowly stop reversing and began to drive away when Gross broke the passenger-side window. Oliver then fired multiple rounds into the car, with one striking the unarmed Jordan in the head, killing him. After watching the body camera footage, Balch Springs Police Chief Jonathan Haber fired Oliver, who was then charged with murder and convicted on August 29, 2018. He received a 15-year prison sentence and was fined $10,000.
Jordan was an honors student and football player in Mesquite, Texas. “He was a great athlete, football player, student,” said District Attorney Faith Johnson. On October 29, 2017, Jordan’s family and friends gathered to celebrate his 16th birthday, which would have been the previous Wednesday, October 25, 2017. “This kid meant a lot to people,” said Kenneth Pendleton, Jordan's former football coach. Jordan’s stepmother, Charmaine Edwards, agreed: “He was a good kid, smart, and he was a people person. And he just loved being around his family and friends. That was him."