St. Louis Cop Who Fatally Shot Vonderrit Myers Will Not Face Charges

Myers was shot and killed last October.

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No charges will be filed against the St. Louis police officer who shot and killed Vonderitt Myers last fall, authorities say. 

Myers, 18, was fatally shot by Officer Jason Flanery on Oct. 8 in the Shaw neighborhood. According to the St. Louis Post-DispatchSt. Louis Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce revealed today that Joyce will not face charges: 


In December, the police department said it found no criminal wrongdoing by Flanery. But under new procedures, the evidence still must be reviewed by the prosecutor for possible charges. Myers' killing was the first investigated by the full-time Force Investigation Unit under new protocols. Previously, prosecutors examined police shootings only if the department asked for it.


The Missouri Highway Patrol crime lab found gunshot residue on Myers’ hands, shirt and inside the waistband and pockets of his jeans. Police said that although gunshot residue can be present on anyone near a shooting, the results show levels consistent with Myers being the shooter and inconsistent with residue from the officers' gun, given the distance between them.


The residue also was found only on Myers’ right hand, police said.


Ballistics tests showed that three bullets matching the gun found with Myers had hit the ground near where Flanery said he tried to take cover. A round that pierced a car behind the officer was too badly damaged to make a match, but it was not consistent with the type of bullets the officer fired, police said.

The Post-Dispatch reports that St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department Chief Sam Dotson characterized Joyce's investigation as a "comprehensive review of the incidents and all of the facts and evidence presented to them."

Myers' shooting, which took place two months after Michael Brown was killed in Ferguson, Mo., ignited protests in Shaw. 

[via St. Louis Post-Dispatch]

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