BALCH SPRINGS, Texas _ The gunfire that rang out minutes before an officer fatally shot 15-year-old Jordan Edwards had nothing and everything to do with his death.
Fired Balch Springs Officer Roy Oliver heard the gunshots and left the teenagers' house party he was investigating April 29 and grabbed his rifle. The gunfire scared Jordan, his brothers and two friends, and they jumped in their car to leave.
Those shots may have little to do with the criminal case against Oliver, who faces a murder charge in Jordan's death. But people have wondered where the gunfire came from _ or whether what people heard was even gunfire.
It was gunfire and where it came from is now clear.
Four shell casings were recovered from the parking lot of the nearby Balch Springs Nursing Home, two law enforcement officials said Thursday, on the condition that they not be identified by name. Orange paint marked where the casings were recovered. It's possible a fifth shot was fired, one of the officials said.
The shots probably were fired into the air.
Authorities are still searching for who fired the shots in the minutes before Oliver killed Jordan.
Also on Thursday, Dallas County District Attorney Faith Johnson said the U.S. Department of Justice is aware of the shooting and has opened a case but has not yet decided whether to investigate.
Johnson said prosecutors are working hard to get a murder indictment and conviction.
"We are vigorous in our investigation," Johnson said. "We are putting in untold hours. I have a team assigned to the case. We are persistent and want to achieve our goal."
A green grassy ditch, lush with pink buttercups, lies between the nursing home parking lot and the intersection where Jordan was shot. A memorial of white and red artificial flowers and four candles sit nearby.
Oliver was fired within days of shooting Jordan around 11:30 p.m. April 29 on Shepherd Lane.
Originally, Balch Springs Police Chief Jonathan Haber said Oliver fired his rifle into the car as it aggressively backed up toward the officers. But after viewing video from a body camera, Haber said the car was driving away from the officers.
Oliver turned himself in Friday after a warrant was issued for his arrest on a murder charge and was released on $300,000 bond. His attorney could not be reached for comment Thursday.
Oliver and another officer, Tyler Gross, had been responding to a call of underage drinking. They were inside the house on Baron Drive when they heard gunshots, according to court records.
As Oliver was returning to his patrol car to get his rifle, Jordan was leaving the party. The driver, Jordan's 16-year-old brother, backed up because police or other cars had blocked the route forward.
The officers yelled for the car to stop, but it kept backing up from Baron Drive onto Shepherd Lane, court records show. As the black Chevrolet Impala was facing south, it began driving forward on Shepherd, and Gross used his gun to break a back passenger window.
Then Oliver _ standing behind Gross _ fired into the car, striking Jordan in the head, court records show.
Balch Springs police have not responded to inquiries about whether Gross was disciplined after the shooting. It is not clear whether Gross followed department policy when he broke the car window.
Gross, who could not be reached for comment, has not been accused of a crime.
His personnel records, obtained this week by The Dallas Morning News, do not include any information about the night of the shooting.
Gross, who joined the Balch Springs police force in 2013, was named the department's officer of the year last year. He received high marks on a 2016 evaluation _ the only one included with his civil service file.
In that evaluation, Sgt. Jonathan Purifoy wrote that Gross' "meticulous assessment of situations and fairness in his decision making reflect positively on the department, and should stand as a shining example of the beliefs inculcated in the department's core values."
He said Gross "uses sound judgment when making decisions in the field, and always excels at good safety techniques while performing his duties."
Oliver, who served two tours of duty with the Army, was suspended for 16 hours in 2013 because of a complaint from the Dallas County district attorney's office, according to his personnel records. He was criticized for his conduct toward people in the office and in court for a DWI case.
Prosecutors said they had difficulty getting Oliver to show up for court. Once he was there, Oliver was aggressive and used vulgar language. The district attorney's office asked a female intern to leave the room because of his conduct.
The office said that the officer later cursed when he was asked a question in the courtroom: "I don't understand the (expletive) question," Oliver said on the witness stand.
Oliver earned high marks in his last evaluation in January. He scored a 4.44 out of 5, meaning he "exceeds expectations."
On Thursday, Jordan's parents met with prosecutors. Afterward, their attorneys and community activists held a news conference outside the district attorney's office inside the Frank Crowley Courts Building where Oliver faces a trial.
The parents _ father Odell Edwards and stepmother Charmaine Edwards, who helped raise Jordan _ didn't speak. They clutched hands, mostly looking at the tile floor. Odell Edwards, at times, wiped tears from his eyes.
Those who did speak said they planned to keep pressure on District Attorney Johnson to prosecute Oliver and any others who broke the law and to fully investigate the shooting. They questioned why Oliver had not also been charged with aggravated assault because of the four other teens in the car. Jasmine Crockett, one of the attorneys for Jordan's family, said she had many more questions about the process but added that prosecutors said they would keep the family updated.
Odell Edwards filed a lawsuit last week against Oliver and the City of Balch Springs in federal court. Jordan's biological mother, Shaunkeyia Stephens, has asked the court to join the lawsuit.
