aseidner
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A grand jury in Ohio has decided not to indict police officers in the August shooting death of a 22-year-old man carrying an air rifle at a Walmart store in Beavercreek, Ohio.
"The grand jury listened to all the evidence, voted on it and decided that the police officers were justified in their use of force that day," prosecutor Mark Piepmeier said on Wednesday.
In a statement, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine said the U.S. Justice Department will review the shooting of Cincinnati resident John Crawford III.
"Now that the state criminal investigation has finished, it is an appropriate time for the United States Department of Justice to look into whether any federal laws were violated during this shooting," the statement said.
Michael Wright, attorney representing Crawford's family, said the decision against indicting was "incomprehensible."
"It makes absolutely no sense that an unarmed 22-year-old man would be killed doing what any American citizen does every day: Shopping at a Walmart store," he said in a statement. "The Crawford family is extremely disappointed, disgusted and confused. They are heartbroken that justice was not done in the tragic death of their only son."
The statement added, "The Crawford family feels they have been victimized all over again and once again request that the U.S. Department of Justice conduct an independent investigation into the tragic death of John H. Crawford, lll."
Crawford was shot and killed by police at a Walmart in Beavercreek on August 5 while carrying an air rifle through the store. Police responded to the scene after a witness called 911 and told dispatchers that Crawford was walking around with a rifle and "waving it back and forth."
According to police, when officers arrived, Crawford did not comply with their commands to drop his weapon.
He was shot twice, once in the elbow and once in the torso, Piepmeier said.
Crawford died shortly after being transported to a nearby hospital. His death was ruled a homicide by gunshot wound to the torso, according to the local coroner's office.
No indictment in police shooting at Ohio Walmart - CNN.com
Granted that walking around in a store with a realistic looking air rifle is a terrible idea, I really think the police went way overboard here. Watching the surveillance video, it does not even appear that the police gave Crawford a chance to surrender, opting to shoot first and ask questions later. The 911 caller shares some of the blame for this incident as well, as he describes Crawford as if he's behaving in a threatening manner when he clearly is not. Some other customers walk by and do even appear remotely threatened or worried. The whole thing was a bad situation for sure, but I think that the police were way too trigger happy and should face charges.
Here is the surveillance video for reference (shooting begins at 4:57): Surveillance video and 911 audio of Beavercreek Walmart shooting | Local News - WLWT Home