No Federal Charges In Police Shooting Of Colorado Teen De'Von Bailey
DENVER (AP) — Two Colorado police officers who fatally shot a fleeing black teenager in the back will not face federal charges, the U.S. Attorney's Office and FBI said Friday.
The FBI and U.S. Attorney's Office both reviewed the Aug. 3 shooting of De'Von Bailey, 19 in Colorado Springs but determined that there was no evidence of a criminal civil rights violation, the agencies said in an announcement.
Police body camera footage showed officers talking to Bailey and another man about an armed robbery reported nearby. Bailey ran as he was about to be searched. An officer could be heard yelling "hands up!" three times before firing.
"Both offices concluded that the fatal shooting of Mr. Bailey, although undoubtedly devastating to his family, friends and community, did not result from any willful violation of Mr. Bailey's constitutional rights," the FBI and U.S. Attorney's Office said.
To file charges in police shootings, federal prosecutors must believe that officers have willfully deprived people of their constitutional rights to be free from unreasonable seizures or the use of unreasonable force.
"As usual, law enforcement if failing to prosecute law enforcement," said Mari Newman, the attorney representing Bailey's family. She said the family planned to seek justice through a civil rights lawsuit against police.
In November, a state grand jury found the officers were justified in shooting Bailey.
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