Farmers Branch cop who shot and killed man found not guilty by Dallas County judge
The Farmers Branch police officer who shot and killed a 35-year-old man in 2019 has been found not guilty by a Dallas County judge.
Officer Michael Dunn, 47, fatally shot Juan “Johnny” Moreno, 35, on June 12 in Dallas. Videos obtained by Star-Telegram media partner WFAA in 2019 showed Dunn getting out of his car in a parking lot before grabbing his handgun and firing into the driver’s side of a white truck swerving past him.
WFAA reported Wednesday that the judge in the case deliberated for about 25 minutes before delivering the not guilty verdict on a murder charge.
Dallas police detectives investigated the incident because it occurred in Dallas. After the investigation, officials announced on June 19, 2019, that police were recommending a murder charge against the officer.
Farmers Branch Police Chief Kevin McCoy released a statement following the verdict, saying the department is continuing with an internal affairs investigation and that Dunn will remain on leave until the it’s concluded.
Moreno was taken to Parkland Memorial Hospital after the shooting, where he was pronounced dead, according to Farmers Branch police. The officer was treated at a local hospital for a minor injury. Police didn’t specify how Dunn was injured.
The truck didn’t appear to hit him in the video, traveling around him and running into a row of cars.
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During his testimony on Wednesday, Dunn stated many times that he feared for his life, WFAA reported.
“I immediately was scared for my life,” Dunn said. “I felt like where I was standing at that point on my left side driver door, I was directly in the path of Mr. Moreno. He was intently looking at me and very angry face.”
Police were following up on a report of a pickup truck that had been stolen from Irving, according to Dallas police. The truck was backed into a parking space in a shopping center on Emerald Street in Dallas, and three people were inside, Dallas police said.
When the officers walked up to the truck, police said, the driver started to pull out of his space. Dunn then fired his weapon and hit the driver, police said.
The other two occupants of the truck were uninjured, police said. They were taken into custody for questioning.
As a result of the incident, Dunn said he injured his back and knee, receiving four surgeries, according to WFAA. Dunn also confirmed in court that he’d encountered Moreno, who was known within the police department in connection to truck thefts, about a week prior to the shooting and that they’d had a “fatherly conversation.”
Chief McCoy called a police shooting “one of the most difficult situations faced by a police department, and any incident involving deadly force and the loss of life is tragic regardless of the circumstances.”
“Our Department values every human life and works diligently to avoid using deadly force at all times,” McCoy said in the statement. “On behalf of the entire Farmers Branch Police Department, I would like to express my sincere condolences to the Moreno family for the loss of their loved one.”
