Officer Identified in Fatal Shooting of Teen

Officer Courtney Howard shot and killed a teen Sunday during a confrontation

A 10-year veteran of the Dallas Police Department, officer Courtney Howard, shot a teen Sunday during a confrontation while off-duty; the shooting was the second for Howard in the last seven years.

The first shooting took place in Jan., 2005 as Howard was defending his Arlington home, according to police.

On Sunday, Howard walked into the Taco Bell shortly after 10 a.m. still in uniform.  He noticed a young man talking to a couple of friends.  That young man, Kendrick McDaniel, had a marijuana cigarette behind one hear, police said.

According to investigators, Howard asked McDaniel to come over and talk to him.  McDaniel got angry and started cursing at the officer.  Howard pulled out his gun and the teen started to run, fell and then pulled a gun from his waistband, according to Assistant Chief Cynthia Villarreal.

That's when Howard shot McDaniel.

McDaniel was transported to an area hospital where he later died. 

"We do not want to get into a deadly-force confrontation.  But we can't walk away. You expect us to be there and we want to be there," said Villarreal. "An officer walking in on a Sunday morning trying to get himself something to eat, it's the last thing he wanted to do was to get into a deadly-force confrontation."

McDaniel’s sister Cedrickia, doesn’t believe the police’s account of what happened.

“I know my brother. He ain’t going to pull out no gun for no reason,” she said.

McDaniel said her brother, who has a criminal record for offenses including burglary and theft, was trying to clean up his life. Cedrickia said McDaniel was on probation.

“He did anything for his family first. He was good. He got in trouble, but everybody get in trouble,” she said.

She added that her brother didn’t smoke marijuana, and that it was k2 he was carrying.

K2 is known as a synthetic type of marijuana product which is outlawed in Texas.

A grand jury will hear evidence on the case. Meantime officer Howard is on administrative leave.

NBC 5's Ray Villeda contributed to this report.

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