Texas Police Officer Who Fatally Shot Teen Charged With Murder

Ken Johsnon was arrested in suburban Dallas Wednesday night.

ByABC News
March 16, 2016, 11:52 PM
This undated file photo provided by the Farmers Branch Police Department shows Ken Johnson.
This undated file photo provided by the Farmers Branch Police Department shows Ken Johnson.
Farmers Branch Police Department via AP

— -- An off-duty suburban Dallas police officer was arrested and charged with murder and aggravated assault Wednesday, after he fatally shot a 16-year-old burglary suspect and wounded another teen on March 13 in the town of Addison, Texas, local police said.

The Addison Police Department said it executed an arrest warrant Wednesday night for Ken Johnson, an officer with the police department in the nearby city of Farmers Branch. Johnson was taken into custody around 5:55 p.m. local time "without incident," police said. He was booked into Dallas County Jail.

"Based on our investigation thus far we had probable cause to make the arrest this evening,” said Paul Spencer, Addison’s police chief. “But this is a rapidly-evolving situation and it remains an active investigation. Therefore, we are refraining at this time from discussing the evidence collected thus far or about the specifics of this case. We expect there are still several weeks of additional investigative work to do.”

As for the March 13 incident, police said after Johnson saw a vehicle being burglarized in his Farmers Branch apartment complex parking lot, he chased suspects as they fled. After the suspects' vehicle spun out about a half-mile away in Addison, an altercation led to the shooting.

Jose Raul Cruz, 16, was killed and the other juvenile, a passenger in the vehicle, who also was shot, was hospitalized.

Addison police said it is working on the case in association with the Dallas County District Attorney’s office.