A special Grand Jury has decided not to file criminal charges against the Ohio police officers who shot and killed John Crawford III, 22, in a Walmart on August 5.
Reports The Plain Dealer:
A 911 caller reported Crawford was waving what appeared to be a rifle in the store. Police said he didn’t obey commands to put down what turned out to be an air rifle his family said he had taken off a store shelf.
Crawford’s family says the portion of store surveillance footage they saw shows Crawford on his cellphone and holding the air rifle. An attorney for the family didn’t immediately return a call seeking comment on the grand jury’s decision.
The Crawford family says the shooting was not justified and want federal authorities to investigate whether race was a factor. Crawford was black, the officers are white.
A Justice Department spokesman would only confirm that federal authorities were closely monitoring the situation.
Surveillance footage has finally been made public that shows Crawford casually walking around the Walmart with the pellet gun, before cops rush in and shoot him dead.
Has justice been denied, again? Chime in below in the comments.
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Photo: AP Images
