ST. LOUIS – The two St. Louis Police Officers who fatally shot 18-year-old Mansur Ball-Bey while conducting a search warrant in the Fountain Park neighborhood on Aug. 19, 2015 will not be charged, the Circuit Attorney’s Office announced Thursday.
According to a press release from Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce's office, charges will not be filed because "there is insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the two officers didn’t shoot in self-defense, as they contend."
Along with a press release, the Circuit Attorney’s Office also released a 42-page document that you can read at the bottom of this story.
During the investigation, the officers and one eyewitness - who was an off-duty police officer - said they saw Ball-Bey with a gun as he ran out of a two-family flat on the 1200 block of Walton that was subject to a police search warrant.
“One of the biggest challenges we face in this case is that there is no independent, credible witness we can put in front of a grand jury or regular jury who contradicts police statements,” said Joyce in the press release. “None of the other witnesses had a clear view at the moment when Ball-Bey was shot."
The officers say they shot Ball-Bey because he “pointed a gun in the direction of the officer who was standing to Ball-Bey’s right near a garbage dumpster,” the press release states.
Court documents state the firearm found in Ball-Bey’s possession was loaded, and his palm print was lifted from the ammunition clip. Photos were also discovered on social media and recovered from Ball-Bey’s cell phone of what appears to be the same gun recovered at the scene.
Scene photos: The Mansur Ball-Bey case
After public concern over reports that Ball-Bey suffered a single gun-shot wound to the back, Joyce ordered an independent investigation into the shooting at the same time police were conducting their investigation to help expedite the process.
The investigation uncovered the gunshot wound was caused by one officer firing and striking Ball-Bey while he “appeared to be directed toward another officer.” The second officer who discharged their firearm missed.
The attorney for Ball-Bey’s family, Jermaine Wooten, responded to Joyce’s decision Thursday. He said the circuit attorney office’s investigation is flawed.
“I do maintain he did not have a gun on this particular day," he said. "He did not have a gun. And him being a mindful young man, there's no way he would have taken a gun and pointed it at a police officer."
Wooten said Ball-Bey was only at the house that was the subject of the warrant because he was visiting a family member. He said the family is now exploring its other legal options, including a possible wrongful death suit or contacting the Department of Justice.
St. Louis Police Chief Sam Dotson released the following statement Thursday afternoon:
"Today, the Circuit Attorney's Office concluded its review of the officer-involved shooting of Mansur Ball-Bey. I am confident their conclusion is the result of a comprehensive review of the incident and all of the facts and evidence presented.
On August 19, 2015, Mansur Ball-Bey was shot and fatally wounded during the service of a search warrant in the 1200 block of Walton. On April 18, 2016, the Force Investigative Unit (FIU) concluded its investigation into the incident and referred its findings to the Circuit Attorney's Office. The Circuit Attorney's Office then conducted an independent investigation and has determined a criminal violation against either officer could not be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. Police Officer Kyle Chandler, who fired the fatal shot, and Police Officer Ronald Vaughan, who also fired his weapon but did not strike Ball-Bey, will not be charged. Both Officer Chandler and Officer Vaughan each have nearly eight years of service on the police force. The investigation is now subject to the second phase of the FIU's process; an after-action review of deadly force incidents which includes, but is not limited to, assessing tactical training.
Read the full report from the the St. Louis Circuit Attorney here:
