Source: The Fayetteville Observer, N.迷你倉C.Dec. 31--No charges will be filed against a Fayetteville police officer who fatally wounded a man during a traffic stop earlier this year off Country Club Drive, District Attorney Billy West said Monday."The officer's decision to use deadly force was a lawful and measured response to the situation he confronted and necessary for his own protection," West said.The decision clears Officer Denton Heath Little of criminal wrongdoing in the shooting of Lawrence Graham III.Graham, 20, of the 1300 block of Chilton Drive, was shot May 1 as he ran from a car that had been stopped at Sourwood and Lakecrest drives because of a window-tint violation.Graham was paralyzed as a result of the shooting and died in July from a blood clot caused by inactivity, his lawyer, Allen Rogers, said."While District Attorney West, in consultation with his colleagues, has regarded this shooting as justified, the family is deeply saddened by this announcement," Rogers said in a prepared statement. "Having reviewed the video with my co-counsel, Coy Brewer, it depicts Graham exiting the vehicle with a weapon (and) never pointing it toward anyone. Officer Little's decision to shoot (at) Lawrence three times in the back from only a few yards away is inconsistent with community and moral standards."Graham was a passenger in the vehicle driven by Antoine Morrell Willis.Officer Phillip Burlingame, who stopped the car, called for backup, police said, and Little responded to the request.Burlingame was questioning Willis when the two began to struggle, police said.At that point, Graham jumped over the console and out the driver's side door, police said.Little began running after Graham who displayed a .40-caliber handgun as he turned toward the officer, po文件倉ice said.Little drew his weapon and fired shots, police said. Police said Graham was struck twice in the back."Prior to being shot in the back Lawrence threw the weapon 33 feet away from where his body was found," Rogers said in the statement. "While no state criminal charges are forthcoming, the civil standards are much different. Officer Little should be held responsible for Lawrence Graham's death."Rogers said he and Brewer are considering the possibility of filing a civil action lawsuit. But before that, he emphasized, they would seek to have a conversation with Fayetteville police and City Attorney Karen McDonald."Before filing civil action, we'll see if there's a possibility of a resolution," Rogers said. "A pre-suit resolution."The State Bureau of Investigation handled the shooting investigation, which is standard in officer-involved shootings.West said he reviewed the SBI's findings and consulted with the state attorney general before reaching his decision."I also met with civil attorneys representing Mr. Graham's family to review the evidence and share our conclusion that the officer involved in this case will not be charged," West said.The lawyers were allowed to review the SBI's findings, West said."While this incident is undeniably a tragedy for everyone involved, the investigation has conclusively determined that the officer acted consistently with his training and experience," West said.___Staff writer Michael Futch can be reached at futchm@fayobserver.com or 486-3529.Staff writer Nancy McCleary can be reached at mcclearyn@fayobserver.com or 486-3568.Copyright: ___ (c)2013 The Fayetteville Observer (Fayetteville, N.C.) Visit The Fayetteville Observer (Fayetteville, N.C.) at .fayobserver.com Distributed by MCT Information Services存倉
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