St. Louis County’s top prosecutor announced Thursday that he will not charge the former police officer who fatally shot Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, a dramatic decision that could reopen old wounds amid a renewed and intense national conversation about racial injustice and the police treatment
It was nearly six years ago that a grand jury declined to indict Darren Wilson, the white police officer who shot Brown, a Black 18-year-old. Civil rights leaders and Brown’s mother had hoped that Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell, the county’s first Black prosecutor, would reopen the case after he took office in January 2019.
“The question for this office was a simple one. Could we prove beyond a reasonable doubt that when Darren Wilson shot Micheal Brown he committed murder or manslaughter under Missouri law. After an independent and in-depth review of the evidence, we cannot prove that he did,” Bell said.Wilson’s attorney, Neil Bruntrager, didn’t immediately return phone and email messages from The Associated Press.
Story continues“This is a time for us to reflect on Michael’s life, to support Michael’s family and to honor a transformative movement that will forever be linked to his name,” Bell said. Bell — who took office in January 2019 as a reform-minded prosecutor promising to eliminate cash bail for nonviolent offenders and to increase the use of programs that allow defendants to avoid jail time — faced no restrictions in re-examining Brown’s death for potential murder charges. Wilson was never charged and tried, so double jeopardy was not an issue. There is no statute of limitations on filing murder charges.
Bell’s predecessor, longtime prosecutor Bob McCulloch, drew considerable criticism for taking the case to a grand jury rather than charging Wilson himself. Critics also accused McCulloch of swaying the grand jury to its decision not to indict Wilson — an accusation he emphatically denied. Wilson resigned days after McCulloch’s Nov. 24, 2014, announcement that the grand jury would not indict the officer.
In his campaign to unseat McCulloch, Bell focused on larger criminal justice issues, not on McCulloch’s handling of the Wilson investigation.
日本 最新ニュース, 日本 見出し
Similar News:他のニュース ソースから収集した、これに似たニュース記事を読むこともできます。
Prosecutor: No charges for officer in Michael Brown’s deathCLAYTON, Mo. (AP) — St. Louis County’s top prosecutor announced Thursday that he will not charge the former police officer who fatally shot Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, a dramatic decision...
続きを読む »
Federal agents to begin withdrawing from Portland, governor says: 'They have acted as an occupying force'Federal agents will withdraw from Portland after days of violent encounters with protesters, Oregon governor says
続きを読む »
Women charged in beating of Wisconsin state senatorProsecutors charged two women, including a high school social worker, with attacking a Wisconsin state senator during a chaotic night of violence outside the state Capitol last month.
続きを読む »
U.S. Appeals Court Will Reconsider Dismissal of Case Against Former Trump Security Adviser FlynnA federal appeals court will rehear a legal challenge to whether charges against former Trump administration national security adviser Michael Flynn must be dropped, the latest twist in a yearslong legal drama.
続きを読む »
Most Americans support national protests over race, poll findsThe protests around racial justice, sparked by George Floyd's death at the hands of police officers in May, are resonating with most Americans.
続きを読む »
The WNBA Is Wearing Breonna Taylor's Name on Jerseys. The NBA Should, Too.It's been four months since Taylor was killed by police. The officers involved in her death have yet to be arrested.
続きを読む »