LA Times
Prosecutors in Missouri have dropped all charges against a Kansas City
police officer who was charged in the nonfatal shooting of an unarmed
man, arguing the case was not strong enough to secure a conviction.
In
February, a state grand jury determined there was probable cause to
indict Jacob Ramsey, 31, on charges of first-degree assault and armed
criminal action in the June 24 shooting of 37-year-old Anthony
Contreras.
“Like all prosecutors, we have a duty to be convinced that evidence
supports a defendant's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt,” Jackson County
Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker said in a news release Friday night. “Our
subsequent investigation convinced us that burden could not be met.”
According to prosecutors, the Missouri shooting began when officers
spotted Contreras, who was identified as a suspect in a string of 31
thefts from tractor-trailers, on the porch of his home. Before trying to
take Contreras into custody, officers had been briefed that he was
“known to flee and was considered dangerous.”
An
officer said he shouted “Anthony, stop!” but Contreras entered the home
and left through the back door. Ramsey, who was positioned at the back
of the home, said he ordered Contreras to show his hands, then fired a
single shot at Contreras after he dropped his right hand to his side.
Ramsey said he believed Contreras was reaching for a gun.
Contreras,
who was found to be unarmed, was struck on the left side of his face,
causing serious injury to his jaw, teeth and tongue. He has maintained
he did not see Ramsey or hear his commands.
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