Mesquite Police Chief Charles Cato Issued A Statement Last Night Confirming That Derick Wiley Has Been Fired From The Mesquite Police Force.

As Lyndo Jones and his family wait to hear whether the officer who shot him will face any criminal charges, the Mesquite Police Department has already taken action.

In a statement released last night, Mesquite Police Chief Charles Cato announced that Derick Wiley has been fired from the police force for violating department policy, CBS DFW reports. Cato did not specify exactly which policy had been violated.

Wiley shot Jones twice on November 8 while responding to a call reporting a possible car break-in. But the car in question turned out to actually belong to Jones, who police also forced to the ground upon finding him at the scene. While in the hospital recovering from his wounds, police kept Jones cuffed to his bed despite not filing any charges against him. For his troubles and his extended hospital stay, Jones was then fired from his job for missed work time.

Cato’s statement on Wiley’s firing reads as follows:

“Based upon the facts and recommendations presented to me, I made the decision to place Officer Derick Wiley on indefinite suspension. This is a term used for civil service employees, but it effectively means Officer Wiley’s employment has been terminated.”

The police chief also added that his department would not further comment until after a grand jury reached a decision on whether to indict Wiley on any charges. For their part, Jones’ attorneys are asking Dallas County District Attorney Faith Johnson to formally push for Wiley to be indicted on several charges — including attempted murder.

A grand jury began hearing evidence on Wednesday at noon after a change from its originally scheduled Tuesday date.

We will update this story as we learn more about the grand jury’s decision on whether to indict Wiley.

No more articles