Tuesday, August 29, 2017
CLEVELAND (AP) — A white policeman who fatally shot an unarmed black driver in a Cleveland suburb will not face charges.
A grand jury on today declined to indict Euclid Officer Matthew Rhodes after hearing evidence from prosecutors with the state attorney general's office.
Authorities said Rhodes shot Luke Stewart, 23, several times after a struggle to gain control of a moving car in March. Rhodes was responding to a report of a suspicious vehicle in Euclid.
Sarah Gelsomino, one of the attorneys representing Stewart's family, said the family was "extremely disappointed and upset" by the jury's decision.
"They were really hoping for some justice from the criminal legal system and feel very disappointed that they didn't get it," Gelsomino said.
The jury's decision comes as activists have been criticizing Euclid police for an arrest where a white officer with a history of disciplinary issues was caught on video punching a black man more than a dozen times in an August traffic stop.
Stewart's shooting and the August arrest have inflamed racial tensions in Euclid, with activists interrupting a city council meeting last week and confronting Euclid's mayor and police chief. Euclid is about 46 percent white and 54 percent black according to the 2010 census, the most recent figures available.
Euclid Police Chief Scott Meyer asked for "peace" after the decision.
"We extend our deepest sympathy to all those affected by this terrible event," Meyer said in a statement.
A number for Rhodes could not be found. Rhodes' attorney and Euclid police union president Dave Trend could not immediately be reached for comment.