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A fired Texas police officer who fatally shot an unarmed, naked teen will not face charges after a grand jury declined to indict him Tuesday.
Travis County jurors decided against charges after meeting for five days and hearing 12 witnesses' testimony about former Austin police Officer Geoffrey Freeman’s February shooting of 17-year-old David Joseph, accordingto District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg.Freeman testified before the grand jury.
Joseph family attorney Jeff Edwards slammed the grand jury's decision as a "sad day for justice" in a statement.
"Failing to secure an indictment when a police officer shoots and kills an unarmed, skinny, naked teenager, who the officer outweighed by over 100 pounds, is a failure of will by the district attorney, and calls in to question the entire grand jury process in cases involving police misconduct," Edwards said.
Officer Geoffrey Freeman, 41, was fired from the Austin Police Department the month after the Feb. 8 shooting.
(Freeman family photo via CLEAT)
Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo pink-slipped Freeman, 41, the month after the Feb. 8 shooting, but Freeman has appealed his termination. Acevedo has said Freeman broke the department's policies when he shot Joseph twice and killed him.
"Officer Freeman’s decision to draw his weapon when he exited his vehicle was unwarranted," Acevedo wrote in a disciplinary memo. He noted Freeman could have usedhis baton, stun gun, pepper spray or a bean bag shot gun in his cruiser's trunk instead.
Lawyers from the Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas argued Freeman feared for his safety when David charged at Freeman in the street despite orders to stop. Freeman arrived at the Northeast Austin apartment complex on separate reports of one person chasing another there. He came upon David when he continued his patrol.
David Joseph, 17, was shot and killed when Freeman found him naked in the street, police said.
(Facebook)
"Justice has been served," CLEAT spokeswoman Melinda Smith said in a statement. "Next, Officer Freeman should be put back to work."
With News Wire Services.
This is a developing story.
Check back for updates.