The fired Texas police officer who fatally shot an unarmed, naked teen will not face charges after a grand jury declined to indict him Tuesday.
Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo fired Officer Geoffrey Freeman, 41, the month after the Feb. 8 shooting, but Freeman has appealed his termination. Acevedo has said Freeman broke the department’s policies in the encounter.
“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 used his baton, stun gun, pepper spray or a bean bag shotgun in his cruiser’s trunk instead.
Lawyers from the Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas argued Freeman feared for his safety when Joseph charged at Freeman in the street despite orders to stop. CLEAT executive director Charley Wilkison predicted Freeman will get his job back through his appeal.
“He followed his laws, he followed his training and he protected the community,” Wilkison said after the jury’s decision. “And that’s how they judged it.”