The Dallas police officer, who is on trial on two charges of murder, ordered a number of hits in 2017

This is an evolving story and will be updated.

A Dallas police officer was arrested Thursday on two charges of mastermind after authorities said he ordered two hits in 2017.

The Dallas Morning News Police Chief Eddie García received an internal memorandum telling the department that Bryan Riser, 36, is in custody.

According to a Sheriff’s Department spokesman, he was not yet booked into the Dallas County jail Thursday afternoon. It was unclear if he had a lawyer.

“The actions of this officer have not only tarnished the badge, but it is hampering the efforts of those who go out every day to instill public confidence and create respect for the law enforcement profession,” García said.

Riser, who joined the department in August 2008, was named to the South Central Patrol Division, according to a news release. He is currently being placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of an internal investigation, the department said.

One of the victims, 30-year-old Liza Saenz, was found dead in the Trinity River in March 2017, García said at a news conference on Thursday afternoon. The other victim, Albert Douglas, was abducted and killed on Riser’s orders, García said.

García said Riser had an affair with at least one of the victims.

“This person has no business wearing this uniform,” García said, adding that the department was working to end Riser’s termination. “I can not be clearer than that.”

García added that former Dallas Police Chief U. Reneé Hall was aware of the allegations.

Hall confirms to The news that she was informed that Riser was a “person of interest” in the murder. But being called a person of interest is not enough to get a probable warrant for arrest, she said.

Hall said a strategic decision has been made, led by federal law enforcement, homicide detectives and the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office, not to place Riser on administrative leave so that the government will not jeopardize the homicide investigation. She said he told Riser that being investigated could give him a chance to cover his tracks.

She said she attributed the detectives’ work to the arrest made today.

“If we did something else, we might not be able to bring justice to the families today,” she said.

Saenz’s slaying

Boaters found Saenz’s body in Trinity, near the 200 block of Santa Fe Avenue, just south of downtown Dallas, after hearing multiple shots on the night of March 10, 2017.

The mother of two was born in Corpus Christi according to her obituary and grew up in Aransas Pass.

Mary Hodge, Saenz’s mother, said Thursday that she had not heard of Riser’s arrest, noting that she was expecting a call from a detective. Hodge confirmed that she knew Saenz Riser, but she was not aware of the extent of their relationship.

Six months after Saenz’s death, in September 2017, three men – Kevin Kidd, Emmanuel Kilpatrick and Jermon Simmons – were arrested on charges of head murder in her death. Police said an anonymous tipster led them to the suspects.

Kidd told police at the time that he met Kilpatrick and Simmons at the bottom of the river, after Kilpatrick forced Saenz into a car in the gun. According to Kidd, he saw Kilpatrick Saenz shooting at the riverbank.

The trio was charged in three other murders that took place over a four-day period.

According to Riser’s affidavit, one of the three men – police did not say which one – came forward in August 2019, saying Riser was involved in Saenz’s murder, as well as Douglas’ death.

That man told authorities he and Riser knew each other when they were young and lost contact. When they reconnected in 2013, he said, and Riser asked if he still committed robberies and burglaries like when they were younger, the statement said.

The man said Riser devised a plan to give him and his associates information about drug houses, which would rob them and then divide the proceeds according to the affidavit. But that plan never came to fruition.

Instead, the man told authorities, Riser identified a man he wanted to kill and offered to pay $ 3,500, the statement said. The man and one of his accomplices abducted and killed that man – Douglas – and threw his body into the Trinity, according to the affidavit.

Douglas was reported missing in February 2017, and the body was not found, police said.

A few weeks later, Riser approached the man again and offered him $ 6,000 to kill Saenz, who he said was an informant, according to the affidavit. He and his associates took her to the same spot when Douglas was killed, the statement said.

Police said data from Riser’s cell phone and group car placed him at the locations where the witness said they met to plan the killings.

‘Destructive’

Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson said he was “sick” to hear of the allegations against Riser.

“But I’m grateful to our homicide detectives who worked to ensure that justice was done,” Johnson said. “My heart goes out to the loved ones of the victims. I can not imagine the anguish they endured. They and all the residents of Dallas deserve answers in this case. ”

Sgt. Mike Mata, president of the Dallas Police Association, said Riser was placed on paid administrative leave pending a trial. He said it was “devastating that a member of this police department would be charged with something as horrific as capital murder.”

He said Riser should be held accountable if convicted.

“We do our best to make sure we hire the best people we can,” he said. “But just like any profession, we have individuals who do not respect the badge and do not honor the uniform.”

Terrance Hopkins, president of the Black Police Association of Greater Dallas, said that “this is a very unfortunate incident and if it is true, it is unacceptable.” Rkins was not a member of the police force, Hopkins said.

In the upscale neighborhood south of Grand Prairie where Riser lives, two Dallas police cars sat outside his home Thursday afternoon with red bricks and stones.

Neighbors said Riser and his family moved in about a year ago and were friendly. They said there were not many unusual activities at home before a group pulled up on Thursday.

Domestic violence is charged

Riser was charged in 2017 with a felony of assault on domestic violence causing bodily injury.

According to an affidavit of an arrest warrant, Riser’s girlfriend quarreled with him over a post on his Facebook page saying their relationship was over.

She told police she wanted to post a photo of him on Facebook but he did not want her and asked her to leave his apartment, the statement said. He said she did not want to hit his hand and head.

Riser said the woman beat him again after calling a patrol sergeant to ask that officers be sent to his home and that he grab her by the arm, according to police documents.

The woman told police that Riser hit her arm and took away a cell phone she had borrowed from a neighbor around 911. According to the affidavit, she said he grabbed her arms, pulled her off a bed and struck on the floor, then dragged and kicked her. She also said he picked her up, took her to the door of the apartment and threw her out.

The outcome of the case was not immediately clear; it does not appear in the Dallas County court record.

Staff Writers Everton Bailey Jr. and Charles Scudder contributed to this report.