The Dallas police officer who was arrested last week and charged with two counts of capital murder was dismissed, the police department said.
Bryan Riser, 36, is charged with the shooting death in 2107 of Lisa Saenz and the death of Aubrey Douglas, who was reported missing that year but whose body was never found.
Toby Shook, Riser’s criminal defense lawyer, said on Tuesday that Riser is innocent and “was taken aback by the charges”.
The Police Department announced the resignation of the police officer on Tuesday and said in a statement that it would not make further comments because of an ongoing criminal investigation.
“We received information from a witness who implicated Riser in both murders,” said police chief Eddie Garcia last week, adding that both murders were linked to Riser’s “out of service” life.
Riser’s resignation by the Police Department can be appealed according to public service rules. Prison records show that Riser is being held in place of a $ 5 million bond.
Riser, who has been in the department since 2009, was fired during a disciplinary hearing on Tuesday, police said.
The policeman was first implicated in the murders in August 2019, Garcia said, when a witness told police they kidnapped and killed a person under Riser’s direction.
Shook, Riser’s lawyer, said the evidence is based on what he described as violent criminals with pending capital murder cases. Three other men have already been arrested and charged with Saenz’s murder.
Shook also told the Associated Press that Riser does not know Douglas and there is no evidence connecting them, and that Saenz was Riser’s father’s roommate “at some point”, but Riser did not have a relationship with Saenz.
