WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Dallas Office is ready to work with the Arlington, Texas Police Department to probe the shooting death of African American teenager Christian Taylor by a police officer, Dallas FBI Public Affairs Specialist Allison Mahan told Sputnik.
“The Dallas FBI has been in contact with the Arlington Police Department,” Mahan said on Tuesday.
On Friday, 19-year old teenager Christian Taylor was shot and killed by Arlington police officer Brad Miller, a rookie to the police force.
Mahan said the FBI has full in the Arlington Police Department and Tarrant County, Texas District Attorney’s Office to put together a thorough investigation into Taylor’s death, but the FBI will get further involved if needed.
“If in the course of the investigation, information comes to light of a potential federal civil rights violation, the FBI is prepared to investigate,” Mahan said.
The United States has seen multiple protests prompted by high-profile and well-documented cases of police brutality and killings over the past year. In April 2015, Baltimore was swept by days of protest and riots after 25-year-old African-American Freddie Gray died of a spinal cord injury received while in police custody. Six police officers have since been charged in connection with Gray’s death.
