FILE - In this Oct. 9, 2014 file photo, people gather for a candlelight vigil to remember Vonderrit Myers Jr., in St. Louis. An attorney for the family of the black 18-year-old shot and killed last October by an off-duty, white St. Louis police officer said Tuesday, May 19, 2015 he plans to file a wrongful-death lawsuit, after a prosecutor said the officer would not face criminal charges. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File) (The Associated Press)
ST. LOUIS – A prosecutor says no charges will be filed against an off-duty white police officer who shot and killed a black 18-year-old in October.
St. Louis Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce's report, released Monday, says a criminal violation could not be proven beyond a reasonable doubt in the killing of VonDerrit Myers Jr.
The police officer, who was not named in the report, was patrolling a neighborhood near the Missouri Botanical Gardens as a security officer when he approached Myers.
The report says the officer had reason to suspect Myers was armed and a chase ensued.
Authorities said Myers fired at least three shots at the officer, who returned fire.
Myers' death fuelled protests, coming two months after the killing of black 18-year-old Michael Brown in the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson.
