Murder trial underway for ex-officer accused of killing teen

DALLAS – Prosecutors are telling a Dallas jury that an off-duty police officer chased two teenagers who were burglarizing his SUV and killed one of them after firing his gun more than a dozen times.

Opening statements began Monday in the murder trial of Ken Johnson. He's pleaded not guilty in the death of 16-year-old Jose Cruz.

Johnson resigned from the police force in the Dallas suburb of Farmers Branch shortly after the March 2016 shooting in nearby Addison.

Authorities say the shooting occurred after Johnson saw the two people burglarizing his personal SUV. Surveillance video shows that Johnson chased the teens with his SUV, rammed the teens' car and repeatedly fired into their stopped vehicle.

The second teenager was critically injured.

Johnson's attorneys say he feared for his life.