Prosecutors say they won’t be charging a Kansas City police officer for the fatal shooting of a black man. Malcolm Johnson was shot during an attempted arrest inside a gas station on March 25, 2021.
Saint Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office released a statement after a special prosecutor’s report was submitted to the department. The report concluded that the officers on the scene were acting in self-defence.
Johnson died after being shot by police during an attempted arrest on March 25, 2021, inside a gas station near East 63rd Street and Prospect Avenue.
“We regret the loss of Mr. Johnson’s life, as well as the injury to the police officer who also was shot in the incident, and regardless of the legal conclusions, any loss of life and injury to an officer is tragic.”
31-year-old Malcolm Johnson was killed in a convenience store inside a gas station. Police claim they were in pursuit of Mr. Johnson for an aggravated assault charge. Johnson resisted arrest, pulled a gun on the officers, and fired at the officers, the police claim adds.
“The physical evidence, the audio evidence, and the statements of evidence do not support filing charges against the officers involved with the arrest or the fatal shooting of Malcolm Johnson,” the statement from the prosecutor’s office added.
The Chief of the Kansas City Police Department said that a third-party investigation into the shooting was ordered to restore trust in the KCPD. “No police officer wants to be in a situation where they get injured, nor do they want to have to cause injury to someone else. A loss of life affects everyone in our community, and it matters to us all,” she said.
