Holly MatkinDallas, TX – A veteran Dallas police officer has been arrested on two capital murder charges after a man contacted investigators to report the officer instructed him to kidnap and kill two people in 2017.
Investigators said there was no connection between the victims, 31-year-old Liza Saenz and 61-year-old Albert Douglas, and that their deaths were unrelated, according to the Associated Press.
Police pulled Saenz’s bullet-ridden body from the Trinity River on March 10, 2017, Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia said during a press conference on Thursday.
Douglas was reported missing in February of 2017, but his body has never been found, the Associated Press reported.
According to Chief Garcia, an unnamed man came forward in August of 2019 and told investigators that Dallas Police Officer Bryan Riser directed him to kill both victims.
The chief noted that the murders were not connected to Officer Riser’s job as a law enforcement officer, but said police have not identified the motive for the killings, the Associated Press reported.
Chief Garcia also didn’t explain why Officer Riser, who was arrested Thursday on two counts of capital murder, was allowed to continue working for more than a year after the allegations against him were made.
It is also unclear whether or not the unnamed man who tipped them off has been charged, the Associated Press reported.
The chief said he has ordered an expedited internal affairs investigation into the 13-year department veteran, who has been placed on administrative leave in the interim.
“We’re going to expedite our process so this individual is no longer with the department,” Chief Garcia said. “We will not allow anyone to tarnish this badge.”
“This individual has no business wearing this uniform,” he added, according to KXAS. “That’s just not me saying that as police chief, I guarantee you every man and woman that wears this uniform that does this job honorably does not want anyone tarnishing our badge.”
In May of 2017, Officer Riser was charged with domestic violence after he allegedly assaulted his ex-girlfriend and left her with injuries, according to the Associated Press.
The disposition of that case is unknown.
Chief Garcia refused to comment on the officer’s prior arrest on Thursday, the Associated Press reported.
