Several Dallas police officers were fired Tuesday and one now faces criminally negligent homicide charges.
Police say that Officer Bryan Burgess and Officer Michael Puckett were fired. They are both accused of lying about a police incident, and falsifying a report.
Burgess faces criminally negligent homicide charges.
In April, police say the officers Burgess and Puckett spotted Fred Bradford on his bike, and started following him because of suspicious activity.
The two followed Bradford to Julius Shepps Freeway. Police say Puckett was chasing Bradford on foot and Burgess hit Bradford. Officers allegedly waited 8 minutes before calling for an ambulance, and didn't say it was for a person hit by car, only that someone was injured.
Dallas Police Chief David Brown says the scene was then altered.
“Officer Burgess moved the marked police car, he moved Mr. Bradford’s body, and he moved Mr. Bradfords bicycle,” Brown said.
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
Bradford had broken ribs and was taken to the hospital where he later died from his injuries.
The officers allegedly claimed Bradford was evading arrest. The chief said they knew the story didn't gel, and when it made it to internal affairs, Puckett turned in a recording on the day of the incident.
“This recording revealed that Officer Burgess had made a false statement regarding the facts of this case,” said Brown.
Brown fired four other employees on Friday and suspended another.
Officer Edward Antunez was fired after his arrest in Mesquite on a sexual assault charge. Brown said Cindy Kelly was fired from her job as a crime scene analyst after an arrest for financial mismanagement in ellis county brought shame to Dallas Police Department. Senior Cpl. Durman
Johnson was fired for not investigating more than 100 family violence cases assigned to him.
Senior Cpl. Shawn Wash was fired for failing to investigate almost 150 family violence cases assigned to him and falsifying information in a report. Officer Andrew Clennell was suspended for 30 days for misleading internal affairs investigators.
All the employees disciplined by Brown have the right to appeal the chief's decision.
