Dallas police officer faces two capital murder charges

A Dallas police officer is accused of offering to pay another person to kidnap and kill two people in 2017, Dallas Police Chief Eddie García announced Thursday.

Officer Bryan Riser, a 12-year veteran of the department, faces two counts of capital murder, the chief announced at a news conference.

“This criminal investigation dates back to 2017 with the deaths of two unrelated murder victims,” García said.

The victims are identified as Lisa Saenz — whose body was found in a river after being shot to death, the arrest affidavit says — and Albert Douglas, whose body has never been found, according to García.

The police chief said Riser has “a relationship” with at least one victim, but he did not expand on the relationship and said the motive for the separate killings is unknown.

An arrest affidavit says Riser had referred to Saenz as an “informant.”

“We will not allow anyone to tarnish this badge,” said García, who has served as the chief of the Dallas Police Department for only a month.

Riser did not respond to CNN attempts to contact him via email. It’s not clear whether he has legal representation.

CNN’s request for comment to the local police union, the Dallas Police Association, was referred to a public relations firm, which declined to comment.

The chief says Riser joined the department in August 2008 and has most recently been working as a south-central patrol officer. García added they will be reviewing all of Riser’s past arrests to ensure there was no misconduct involved.

Three other people also have been charged with capital murder in connection to the killings, but the affidavit does not disclose their identities nor the status of their cases.

Under the terms of the department’s collective bargaining agreement, Riser remains on the force pending an internal affairs investigation, the chief said. “We’re conducting an administrative investigation as quickly as possible, moving toward termination,” García added.

Garcia thanked the FBI for its help on the criminal investigation, which is ongoing.

Online jail records list Riser’s bail amount at $5 million. He is being held in the North Tower Detention Facility, records indicate.