Prosecutor decides not to charge officer who shot Black teen
Source: AP
By JEFFREY COLLINS
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A South Carolina prosecutor said Wednesday that he will not file charges against the white police officer who fatally shot a Black teenager who pointed a gun at the officer as he ran away.
Josh Ruffin, 17, was an immediate threat to the safety of the officers and others when he stopped during the chase and pointed a gun at Columbia police Officer Kevin Davis, Fifth Circuit Solicitor Byron Gipson said at a news conference.
Davis had reason to chase the teen because he was outside during the COVID-19 shutdown order during and a neighborhood leader had just reported suspicious activity in an area with a higher than average crime rate, Gipson said.
The Ruffin family’s lawyer, state Rep. Todd Rutherford, said they would have preferred for the officer face charges. They reviewed the body camera footage and weren’t convinced that the blurry video ever showed the teen point a gun at the officer.
Fifth Circuit Solicitor Byron Gipson highlights the gun that Joshua Ruffin was carrying when he was shot by City of Columbia police officer, Kevin Davis, during a press conference Wednesday, June 24, 2020 concerning the police officer shooting of Joshua Ruffin. Ruffin, 17, was killed April 8 after he ran away when the police officer started asking him questions and pointed a gun at the officer chasing him, Columbia police Chief Skip Holbrook said. (Tracy Glantz/The State via AP)
Read more: https://apnews.com/117a038ebdb206a8c17abf3fec134ff2
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