Texas DA says she’ll ‘do what’s right’ in teen death probe

From 1982 to 1989, Johnson was a Dallas County prosecutor, serving as the county’s first black female chief felony prosecutor. After being appointed a judge in 1989, she served in that position for 17 years. She then spent 10 years in private practice before being appointed district attorney.

She is the only Dallas Republican holding a countywide seat. Since taking office in January, she has focused on opening 11 community satellite locations for the district attorney’s office and setting up a program that helps residents expunge their criminal records of low-level crimes.

The investigation of Edwards’ death has become Johnson’s first high-profile case as district attorney.

Roy Oliver, a police officer in the Dallas suburb of Balch Springs, opened fire on a vehicle that the high school freshman was riding in along with his two brothers and two other teenagers. The group was leaving an unruly house party.

The shots from Oliver’s rifle shattered the front passenger-side window and struck Edwards. The teen’s 16-year-old brother was driving.

Johnson declined to discuss the details of the investigation, which her office and the Dallas County Sheriff’s Department are handling.

“We just want everybody to know we are on this,” she said. “We are expeditiously doing our job and we are going to do a complete job.”

Oliver was fired Tuesday but some community leaders and activists are calling for charges to be filed against him.

“We are insisting on a transparent investigation and we are insisting that this investigation … produces a charge of murder,” said Frederick D. Haynes, a senior pastor at Friendship-West Baptist Church in Dallas who was one of several activists who met with Johnson on Wednesday.

Johnson said while she respects people’s right to express how they feel about the case, their sentiments won’t affect how the investigation is conducted.

“I’m driven by the fact that I want to do right,” she said. “I want to do right by the family, right by the officer involved, right by the people of Dallas County. … And however the chips fall, that’s how they are going to fall.”

Attorneys who have worked with Johnson say she’s well prepared to deal with the intricacies and pressures of such a high-profile case.

“She’ll be up to the task and she will try to be as transparent as possible. She can handle it,” said Dallas defence attorney Heath Harris, who also has worked as a prosecutor with the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office.

John Creuzot, a former longtime judge who has known Johnson since the two were Dallas County prosecutors, said Johnson and her office are more than capable of handling the probe into Edwards’ death.

“There’s nothing about her that makes me think that she would compromise what she feels is the right thing to do on the case,” said Creuzot, who is seeking the Democratic nomination to challenge Johnson next year for the district attorney job.

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Lozano reported from Houston. Associated Press writer Claudia Lauer in Dallas contributed to this report.

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Follow Juan A. Lozano on Twitter at www.twitter.com/juanlozano70

Juan A. Lozano, The Associated Press

by Canadian Press

Texas DA says she’ll ‘do what’s right’ in teen death probe

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