Christian Taylor

Christian Taylor, 19, an Angelo State University football player, was shot and killed by rookie Arlington, Texas Police Officer Brad Miller on August 7, 2015, inside a car dealership showroom he had broken into and was vandalizing while, an autopsy later showed, under the influence of a hallucinogen. Miller broke from his training officer and entered the showroom alone without informing his supervisor, then shot Taylor, who was unarmed, four times as Taylor advanced toward him after refusing to get on the ground. Miller was fired days later for what the police chief called a “catastrophic” tactical decision to confront Taylor alone. A Tarrant County grand jury declined to indict Miller in June 2016. No one has ever been charged in Taylor's death.

Arlington, TX · Tarrant County

• 2015: Case opens — victim reported missing or found.
• Documented milestones (renewed investigation, media coverage, family advocacy) to be added as sourced.
• Present: case remains unresolved. No named suspect has been convicted.

• The break-in, the confrontation, and the shooting, per Arlington Police Chief Will Johnson's public statements and dealership surveillance video of Taylor's behavior beforehand.
• Miller entered the showroom alone, without informing his supervising officer, rather than helping establish a perimeter as instructed.
• Taylor was unarmed; an autopsy found THC and a synthetic hallucinogen known as N-BOMB in his system, which the Tarrant County Medical Examiner said can cause hallucinations and erratic behavior.
• Miller's training officer, who followed him into the showroom, deployed a Taser that failed to stop Taylor before Miller fired his service weapon four times.
• Miller was fired four days after the shooting; Chief Johnson said Miller's tactical decisions led to “cascading consequences” resulting in the shooting.
• A Tarrant County grand jury declined to indict Miller on any charge on June 8, 2016.
• The City of Arlington approved an $850,000 settlement with Taylor's family in May 2017.

• The precise sequence of Taylor's advance toward Miller, and whether verbal commands were given the opportunity to work before Miller fired, was described only through police and Miller's own account, since no video exists of the shooting itself.
• Why Miller chose to enter alone rather than wait for backup, given ten other officers were reportedly in the vicinity, has not been fully explained beyond the department's internal review.
• The full grand jury proceedings, which concluded no charges were warranted, remain sealed as with all grand jury deliberations.

• BlackPast.org — “Christian Taylor (1995-2015)”
• NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth — “Tarrant County Grand Jury No Bills Arlington Police Officer in Fatal Teen Shooting”
• National Police Accountability Project — “Family of Unarmed Texas 19-Year-Old Killed by Police Officer to Receive $850K Settlement”
• Project Cold Case
• Murder Accountability Project
• NamUs