ADDISON -- The attorney representing an off duty Farmers Branch Police officer involved in a deadly shooting said he feared for his life before opening fire.
The Farmers Branch Police Department identified Officer Ken Johnson, who shot and killed a 16-year-old while off duty in Addison Sunday night.
Johnson, who has been with the department since March 2015, previously served in the U.S. Army and was an officer with the DART police before working in Farmers Branch.
Family members identified the teen shot by Johnson Jose Raul Cruz.
Addison police say it started when Johnson witnessed an attempted burglary of a vehicle at his apartment complex at 14839 Marsh Lane, about a half mile from the shooting scene. When the suspects took off in a car, he chased them.
Surveillance video obtained by News 8 on Monday shows Johnson in his personal vehicle pursuing a red Dodge Challenger, driven by Cruz.
A few moments later, Johnson's vehicle appears to make contact with Cruz's vehicle, which spins out of control before crashing at Marsh and Spring Valley.
Moments later, Johnson opened fire.
Cruz died at the scene. His passenger was taken to Parkland Hospital.
Johnson was not injured.
Attorney Chris Livingston says officer Johnson feared for his life and believed that fear justified his use of deadly force.
Johnson announced himself as a police officer repeatedly in the complex, according to Livingston.
"He saw two suspects that matched the description of known car break-in suspects," Livingston said. "Officer Johnson observed both of them attempting to break into his personal vehicle."
"It was not right for him to kill my cousin. He was 16 years old. They could have stopped him, but not shoot him," Cruz's cousin, Nora Rubi, said.
Rubi said her family came to the scene because they wanted to see where Cruz was shot.
"We didn't know nothing. At least two hours, we didn't know nothing," she said. "I was in the hospital looking for him."
Details on the events leading up to the shooting are under investigation. Officer Johnson has been placed on administrative leave, which is standard procedure following a shooting.
The family says they are meeting with the Farmers Branch police chief on Tuesday.
The Addison Police Department is conducting the criminal investigation into the shooting.
The Farmers Branch Police Department is handling the internal affairs investigation into Officer Johnson.
