Shooting victim's dad 'feels sorry' for family of fired cop

John Bacon | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Texas officer fired after fatally shooting unarmed teen The Texas officer who shot unarmed burglary suspect Christian Taylor, a college football player, has been fired, according to Arlington Police Chief Will Johnson.

The firing of a white rookie police officer days after he fatally shot an unarmed black teen during a suspected burglary at a Texas car dealership brought little solace to the father of the victim.

“We are all human and make mistakes, and there isn’t a winner in this," Adrian Taylor told The Washington Post hours after Brad Miller was fired from the Arlington force Tuesday. "We are both losers.”

Police Chief Will Johnson said Miller, 49, made mistakes that led to “an environment of cascading consequences" and the death of Christian Taylor, 19, early Friday.

“I’m not a man of revenge, and the results can’t bring my son back,” responded Taylor, who founded and runs Comprehensive Community Solutions, a non-profit group that its website says is "committed to uplifting North Texas communities."

Taylor did not immediately respond to a request for comment from USA TODAY. He told the Post he had no reaction to the possibility that Miller could face criminal charges. He expressed sympathy for Miller's family.

“We’ll deal with that when the time comes,” he said of possible charges. “Right now, I just feel sorry for my family and his family and for the whole nation. I just hope it makes a change because this is happening too much.”

Christian Taylor was killed days before the first anniversary of the fatal shooting of Michael Brown, 18, by a white officer in Ferguson, Mo. That shooting, and other officer-involved deaths that followed, led to months of protests across the nation.

Security footage showed Taylor, who played football at Angelo State University, breaking the windshield of a car on the dealership's lot before driving his own vehicle into the glass showroom. Just before 1:20 a.m. Friday, responding officers spotted Taylor inside the dealership. According to Johnson, Taylor said he was going to steal a car. Officers also noticed a bulge in the suspect's pocket.

Miller entered the dealership alone, without establishing a coordinated response with other officers, the chief said. Miller gave verbal commands to Taylor, who fled toward a locked door in the building. Another officer reported seeing Taylor charging that door, trying to break it.

Johnson said Miller ordered Taylor to get on the ground. Arlington Police Cpl. Dale Wiggins, who had entered the building after Miller and was standing nearby, reported that Taylor instead began cursing and advancing toward Miller. Miller shot Taylor several times, Johnson said.

The bulge in Taylor's pocket was his wallet and cellphone, Johnson said.

Taylor says the son he remembers is not the son shown on the dealership video.

“I don’t know any more information than anybody else in the world,” he said. “We were hoping of finding out some more information because that (person) was not my son.”

Taylor said his family's primary concern now was burying Christian.

“Faith is the only thing getting us through,” Taylor told the Post. “Nobody prepared for this."

Contributing: Josh Davis, WFAA-TV, Dallas-Fort Worth