Name: Michigan AG: No charges against officers in 2018 fatal police shooting in St. Clair Shores
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Michigan AG: No charges against officers in 2018 fatal police shooting in St. Clair Shores

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Detroit Free Press The Michigan Attorney General's Office said Friday that it did not find evidence to seek criminal charges against the police officers involved in a 2018 fatal shooting in St. Clair Shores.Theoddeus Gray, 29, was shot by police Nov. 4, 2018, near Lakeland Manor Banquet Hall on Harper Avenue. A police K-9 named Axe also was fatally shot.The office agreed to&nbsp; a request by Gray's parents for an independent review of the evidence to determine whether any officer involved may be subject to criminal proceedings for their action, according to the 48-page report.Officers went to the banquet hall after receiving a frantic 911 call about a man with a gun. Gray was there to attend his girlfriend’s baby shower. Police said Gray fired on them while fleeing and was found with a gun.The Macomb County Sheriff’s Office investigated the shooting in 2018 and determined there was no evidence to substantiate any wrongdoing by the St. Clair Shores&nbsp;officers. The sheriff's office declined to submit a warrant request.Attorney General Dana Nessel's office said in the release that the report was completed in April and continued through internal review processes in the following weeks.“This report is part of my office’s commitment to transparency and accountability,” Nessel said. “We never want the response of law enforcement to escalate into lethal use of force. However, when that does occur, our job is to obtain and review all evidence before deciding whether any criminal wrongdoing took place according to existing law. In this particular case, the evidence suggests that the actions of the St. Clair Shores police officers do not warrant criminal charges."The report indicates Gray was causing a disturbance by brandishing a handgun at the banquet hall, frightening others, according to the release from Nessel's office.More:When police arrived, it states, Gray ignored their requests to talk and their commands to stop. As he fled, Gray fired a round at the officers, who then returned fire, ultimately resulting in Gray’s death."I'm glad they came to the same conclusions as us. Our investigators put a lot of time and effort reviewing this case," Sheriff Anthony Wickersham said.message seeking comment was&nbsp;left late Friday afternoon for St. Clair Shores Police Chief Todd Woodcox.Oliver Gantt, spokesman for Gray's family, said the case was prematurely closed by Wickersham and not forwarded to the prosecutor's office. He said the investigator assigned by the Attorney General's Office didn't interview witnesses or take close inspection of video, which he claims was doctored by the sheriff's office."Even though there is pending litigation, we will pursue the Department of Justice asking them to investigate the case," Gantt said, adding he wants to talk with Nessel personally "because I believe she will take a closer look at this case and render a different conclusion."Gray's mother, Tracy Jenkins, said through Gantt that she and her husband were to have a meeting with the Attorney General's Office earlier this year. The coronavirus hit and her husband died of COVID-19 in April. She said the office later said it did a full investigation and interviewed family witnesses, but she said she later learned that the office didn't call any of the witnesses.In February 2019, Gray's family filed a $10-million lawsuit against the city and five officers in U.S. District Court in Detroit. An interim status conference is set for Aug. 13 with a jury trial date set for June 15, 2021, according to court records.The lawsuit&nbsp;alleges&nbsp;that Gray was unarmed and had already surrendered to police when he was killed outside the banquet hall. A rally and march for Gray&nbsp;was held June 27 in St. Clair Shores.Authorities originally said that officers opened fire on Gray after he shot the K-9. Axe was shot and fatally wounded during the foot chase.More:But Wickersham said in a news conference three weeks after the 2018 shooting that it was unclear who shot the dog. The lawsuit stated&nbsp;one of the officers did.The report from Nessel's office states that "based upon&nbsp;review of all surveillancevideo, observed in conjunction with one another, the evidence demonstrates DecedentGray was likely the one who shot Axe, but the determination of who shot Axe is notpertinent to this review."Gray was shot five or six times, per the report from Nessel's office. Wickersham had said in 2018 that the officers fired a total of 48 shots. No officers were hit.Wickersham also had said that Gray had a FN57 5.7mm pistol that is believed to have jammed after he fired the first shot. He said the gun was found under Gray.More:More:The report from Nessel's office indicates the escalation of conflict began as a result of a conflict between Gray and a business associate.Five days earlier, Gray was arrested in North Dakota for trafficking prescription pills. Gray and the associate recently had a falling out over money that Gray owed&nbsp;the associate. The associate learned Gray would be at the banquet hall and arrived with three other people&nbsp;and an AK-47, which was found at the rear of the building, according to the report.More:On Thursday, Nessel's office said it would review another 2018 fatal shooting by police officers in Shelby Township.Kanwarbir Malhi, 25, was shot after getting out of a vehicle in the parking lot of an apartment complex where he lived along Spring Lane. Authorities said he refused to comply with orders and they thought he may have had a weapon. They later determined he was unarmed.The sheriff's office investigated Malhi's death in November 2018. The prosecutor's office reviewed the case, and no charges were authorized against the officers involved, the sheriff's office announced in a release in February 2019.Contact Christina Hall: chall@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter: @challreporter.

Detroit Free Press The Michigan Attorney General's Office said Friday that it did not find evidence to seek criminal charges against the police officers involved in a 2018 fatal shooting in St. Clair Shores.Theoddeus Gray, 29, was shot by police Nov. 4, 2018, near Lakeland Manor Banquet Hall on Harper Avenue. A police K-9 named Axe also was fatally shot.The office agreed to&nbsp; a request by Gray's parents for an independent review of the evidence to determine whether any officer involved may be subject to criminal proceedings for their action, according to the 48-page report.Officers went...

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Christina Hall

The Detroit Free Press is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, US. The Sunday edition is titled the Sunday Free Press. It is sometimes referred to as the Freep (reflected in the paper's web address, www.freep.com). It primarily serves Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Livingston, Washtenaw, and Monroe counties.  The Free Press is also the largest city newspaper owned by Gannett, which also publishes USA Today. The Free Press has received ten Pulitzer Prizes and four Emmy Awards. Its motto is "On Guard for 189 Years".

Michigan AG: No charges against officers in 2018 fatal police shooting in St. Clair Shores

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