
2 Indianapolis officers won’t be charged in fatal shooting
INDIANAPOLIS — Two Indianapolis police officers who fatally shot an unarmed black motorist after he fled a traffic stop won’t face criminal charges in the killing, in part because the officers told investigators they believed he was reaching for a gun, a special prosecutor announced Tuesday.
St. Joseph County Prosecutor Kenneth Cotter cited the officers’ claims of self-defence in deciding that he wouldn’t file charges against them in the June death of 45-year-old Aaron Bailey. He said in his court report that there’s “insufficient evidence to refute” their claims “of subjective fear or the objective reasonableness of that fear.”
Bailey’s family sued the city in September, contending that officers Michal Dinnsen and Carlton Howard used excessive force and that Bailey posed no threat to them. Dinnsen is white and Howard is biracial.
Bailey’s daughter said during a tearful news conference with the family’s attorney that she feels let down by the investigation and believes the decision signals to police officers that it’s OK to kill someone when they’re scared.