A Farmers Branch police officer is charged with murder in the deadly shooting of 35-year-old Juan Moreno Jr.
A Farmers Branch police officer is charged with murder in the deadly shooting of 35-year-old Juan Moreno Jr.
Officer Michael Dunn surrendered to police in Seagoville Thursday after being indicted by a Dallas County grand jury.
The indictment comes just over two weeks since the June 12 shooting at a shopping center in Northwest Dallas.
Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot said he made a promise to get officer-involved cases to a grand jury as quickly as possible so that either the officer could be cleared to get back to work or so that they could proceed with a trial before a jury.
"The District Attorney’s Public Integrity Unit presented the case of a Farmer’s Branch Police Officer who was involved in a deadly shooting on June 12, 2019. Late yesterday, a Dallas County Grand Jury indicted Farmer’s Branch Police Officer Michael Dunn for murder in the death of Juan Moreno exactly two weeks to the day of the shooting," Creuzot said in a statement. "This restores confidence in the community that the system can work quickly, fairly, and efficiently."
"Justice was done like it's supposed to be," said the victim's father, Juan Moreno Sr. "I just want him to be out of the police department because I don't think he deserves to be a policeman since he acted the way he acted."
According to police, officers from Farmers Branch confronted Moreno behind the wheel of a pickup that was reported to be stolen. As officers approached the parked truck, Moreno began to pull out from a parking spot and drive toward Dunn. The officer opened fire on the pickup, shattering the windshield and fatally wounding Moreno.
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The other two people in the truck were uninjured, while one officer sustained a minor injury, police said.
Following Dunn's surrender, Farmers Branch Police Chief David Hale released the following statement.
"The Farmers Branch Police Department is only interested in the truth surrounding the incident and looks forward to augmenting their internal investigation with information from the Dallas Police Department’s independent investigation into the shooting. Officer Dunn remains on administrative leave, pending the internal review of his actions. Our hearts go out to the Moreno family for their loss. Officer Mike Dunn’s life has been forever changed as well. We pray that this process will ultimately bring closure to everyone involved. Thank you to Chief Hall and the Dallas Police Department for their diligence and professionalism in investigating this incident and for their willingness to keep the lines of communication open through this process."
The Dallas Police Department led the investigation because the shooting was just inside Dallas city limits. A special investigations unit handed the case to a grand jury last week.
Dunn is being held Thursday on $150,000 bond.
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NBC 5's Scott Gordon contributed to this report.
