Toxicology Report Shows Teen on Psychedelic Drugs When Killed by Arlington Police

THC, psychedelic drugs shown to be in teen's system, medical examiner says

An unarmed teenager was under the influence marijuana and a psychedelic drug when he was shot and killed by an Arlington, Texas, police officer Aug. 7, the Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office says.

A report released Wednesday by the medical examiner said 19-year-old Christian Taylor was under the influence of hallucinogenic and psychedelic drugs when he was shot and killed by 49-year-old rookie police officer Brad Miller during a confrontation at a South Arlington car dealership.

Police officers were responding to a burglary call at Classic Buick GMC when they discovered someone had driven an SUV through the showroom glass.

Surveillance video would later show Taylor outside the dealership before police arrive acting erratically, standing on top of and jumping on cars before driving through a gate and through the showroom glass.

The Classic GMC Buick dealership released this surveillance video of Christian Taylor before APD arrived. Taylor was later fatally shot by police.

Instead of helping to set up a perimeter around the showroom, Miller confronted a person inside the showroom, later identified as Taylor, and ordered him to get down on the ground, said Arlington Chief of Police Will Johnson last month.

Taylor did not comply and, instead, began "actively advancing toward Officer Miller," Johnson said.

Miller's field training officer, who had followed Miller into the showroom, drew his own Taser. The training officer heard a single pop of what he thought was Miller's Taser, but Miller actually had drawn his service weapon and fired it at Taylor, who is believed to have been 7 to 10 feet away from the officer, Johnson said. After Taylor continued to approach, Miller fired his gun three more times.

The officer's Taser had been deployed, according to the medical examiner, but only one of the prongs entered Taylor's body rendering the device ineffective.

A toxicology report from the Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office confirms Taylor was shot four times, in his chest, throat, abdomen and forearm, and that the presence of drugs were present in both his blood and urine -- specifically THC, 25h-NBOMe and 25i-NBOMe.

THC is the chemical responsible for most of the psychological effects found in marijuana while 25i-NBOMe and 25h-NBOMe are a psychedelic and hallucinogen, respectively.

Following the shooting Johnson fired Miller, saying he breached protocol and that his actions led to the deadly confrontation. Johnson, who has lobbied the Arlington City Council for funding to outfit his officers with body cameras, reiterated his support for the body camera program following the shooting.

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