PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The U.S. Justice Department says it won’t prosecute Portland officers for violating the civil rights of an unarmed black man fatally shot in the back as he ran away.
It said Tuesday there wasn’t enough evidence to prove the officers intended to do something illegal. It says accidents, mistakes, negligence and bad judgment aren’t enough to establish a civil rights violation.
In January 2010, Aaron Campbell was distraught over the death of his brother, drinking and threatening suicide at his Portland apartment. Police came, and he was killed in the confrontation.
Campbell’s family issued a statement saying it “accepts the decision.” It says a prosecution would have “served little purpose in the healing process for the family.”
The officer who fired the shot was dismissed, and three others were suspended.
