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A police officer who has been accused of shooting and killing a 16-year-old boy is out of jail on Thursday. Ken Johnson of the Farmers Branch PD bonded out and was released from a side exit not normally used for prisoners leaving the jail.

A Texas police officer has been arrested and charged with murder and aggravated assault after fatally shooting a teenager in the town of Addison Sunday night.

Ken Johnson, 35, opened fire while pursuing the fleeing teenagers, identified as Jose Cruz and Edgar Rodriguez, in his vehicle. The boys were allegedly attempting to break into an SUV, which was parked in his apartment building’s parking lot.

Cruz, 16, was shot once in the head and once in the ribcage. Rodriguez was shot once in the finger, NBC News reports. He is expected to live.

“Based on our investigation thus far we had probable cause to make an arrest,” Addison police chief Paul Spencer said in a statement late Wednesday. “But this is a rapidly-evolving situation and it remains an active investigation. Therefore, we are refraining at this time from discussing the evidence collected thus far or about the specifics of this case.”

Johnson was booked into the Dallas County Jail on Wednesday night on a bond of $100,000 for the murder charge and $50,000 for the aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Johnson’s lawyer, Chris Livingston, maintains the officer was in fear for his life when he opened fire. Family members of the victim, however, believe there was no burglary, claiming Johnson got annoyed with the teens before the shooting.

“We didn’t think he was going to be arrested because he’s a police officer and they have the power,” Cruz’s cousin, Nora Rubi, told NBC Dallas Forth-Worth. “He should pay for what he did.”

According to Farmers Branch police spokesman David Laisure, off-duty officers are not permitted to chase suspects in their personal vehicles.

An investigation continues.

SOURCE: NBC, NY Daily News | VIDEO SOURCE: Inform

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Texas Officer Charged With Murder For Fatally Shooting Teen, Wounding Another  was originally published on newsone.com