THE US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is to assist the examination of the police shooting of an unarmed black university student Texas.

Arlington Police Chief Will Johnson said on Saturday night that an FBI special agent would take part in the probe, but claimed that it “in no way diminishes my confidence” in local officers to conduct the investigation.

Officer Brad Miller was placed on administrative leave after shooting 19-year-old Christian Taylor in the small hours of Friday.

Police said that the trainee officer had never before fired his weapon in the line of duty.

Mr Miller shot Mr Taylor four times after his more experienced partner had Tasered him when they were called to a reported break-in at a car dealership.

Mr Taylor’s death came two days before the first anniversary of the shooting of teenager Michael Brown by police officer Darren Wilson in ­Ferguson, Missouri, which led to widespread protests and the formation of the Black Lives Matter movement.

• The family of Zachary Hammond, an unarmed white teenager shot by undercover police on July 26, called on Saturday for the officer responsible to be charged.