Sgt. Alan Van’t Land and officer Blake Evenson
Land and Evenson shot and killed a fleeing black teenager but were not charged for his death.
It followed a grand jury’s refusal to press charges against the two officers who were caught on tape shooting and killing the black teen earlier this year.
The jury decided that the officers were justified in using deadly force, although 19-year-old De’Von Bailey was running away from them at the time he was shot, reports BuzzFeed News.
Prosecutors left the decision as to whether the officers should be charged to a grand jury, which released its unanimous finding that the officers were justified in using deadly force.
District Attorney Dan May defended the grand jury’s decision, arguing Colorado permits officers to use deadly force on fleeing felons with firearms.
“Colorado law is very carefully crafted,” May said. “If the officer has a reasonable belief that the person has used a deadly weapon in a crime and is still armed, they can use deadly force to prevent that person from being a fleeing felon with that deadly weapon.”
