The family of a Black man who was killed by a Kansas City, Missouri, police officer two years ago is asking the federal government to intervene after a special prosecutor announced on March 14 that no charges would be filed against the officer.
Malcolm Johnson was shot twice in the head on March 25, 2021.
Johnson was shot after a struggle with several Kansas City police officers inside a BP gas station at 63rd and Prospect. Video footage of the shooting showed Johnson as he stood at the counter talking to the cashier when two Kansas City police officers approached him with their guns drawn. The officers grabbed Johnson, and the three struggled as Johnson tried to run away and was tackled by the officers. Several other officers arrived on the scene and joined the other KCMPD officers as they piled atop Johnson.
One of the officers could be heard yelling, “Gun in his pocket” before three shots are heard being fired. One of the shots hit one of the officers in the leg and the other two struck 31-year-old Johnson in the head.
A special prosecutor in St. Louis County was given the case after the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office said it had a conflict of interest in the case. The St. Louis County Prosecutor’s Office announced that the police officer who shot Johnson acted in self-defense and no charges would be filed.
“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,” said the special prosecutor’s report. “Given the review of all the evidence, there is insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the officer who shot Malcolm Johnson was not acting in lawful self-defense or defense of others under Missouri law.”
The report also claimed that ballistics showed that shots were fired from inside Johnson’s coat pocket. The prosecutor’s report also said that…
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