Virginia prosecutor says Portsmouth officers involved in fatal shooting won't be charged

PORTSMOUTH, Va. – Prosecutors say the Portsmouth, Virginia, officers involved in a fatal shooting of a black man in March won't be charged.

According to media outlets, Commonwealth's Attorney Stephanie Morales says in a report Thursday that officers involved in the shooting were justified in their use of force. She says 29-year-old Walter Brown III was determined to be "an immediate threat to law enforcement" because he struggled with officers and had a gun.

Brown was shot inside his home after leading police on a roughly 5-mile chase. The chase began in a supermarket parking lot after police say they smelled marijuana coming from Brown's vehicle.

Days later, Portsmouth Police Chief Ed Hargis asked state police to investigate the shooting.

NAACP spokeswoman Roddena Kirksey says Portsmouth NAACP officials declined to comment on Morales' report.