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A 23-year-old Alabama cop has been charged with the murder of an unarmed Black man, the Montgomery County District Attorney announced. Aaron “AC” Smith was arrested Wednesday (March 2), for the shooting death of 59-year-old Gregory Gunn.

The investigation into Gunn’s death returned “probable cause” to charge the officer, nearly one week after his murder. ”The State Bureau of Investigation has been working non-stop since Thursday, thoroughly investigating the shooting death of Gregory Gunn,” said Montgomery County District Attorney Daryl Bailey. “The District Attorney’s Office has been in constant contact with SBI and has consulted with their agents throughout the investigation.”

Gunn was walking home from a card game at approximately 3:20 a.m. last Thursday (Feb. 25), when he encountered Smith who was patrolling the area. Smith stopped to confront a “suspicious” person, later confirmed to be Gunn. An altercation reportedly ensued, and Gunn was killed.

He was originally reported to have a stick in his hand (which is no match for a firearm). It’s unclear if there is video evidence.

“As district attorney, I will do everything in my power to protect and support a police officer that is acting within the law,” continued Bailey . “I will also use every ounce of my power as district attorney to prosecute a police officer who has acted outside of the law.”

Though Smith’s case reads like many we’ve heard before where a White officer kills an unarmed Black civilian, last year Police Chief Thomas Manger addressed the issue of diversifying the MPD. Close to half of the 500 MPD officers are Black, according to Reuters.

Bailey added that the murder charge is “in no way an indictment against the Montgomery Police Department,” stating that “99.9 percent” of the MPD officers do an “exceptional job on a daily basis.”

Smith has been charged but not officially indicted, as the investigation is ongoing. He was briefly held at the Montgomery County Detention Facility on $150,000 bail, and later released.

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