Denver Prosecutor: Officer Declared Justified in May Fatal Shooting of African American

DENVER (AP) — A police officer who fatally shot a black man who allegedly pulled a gun on him during a chase will not be prosecuted because he was acting to defend himself, Denver’s district attorney said Thursday.

William Lamont Debose was shot May 1 after running from Cpl. Ethan Antonson. The officer had a reasonable belief that he was defending himself form the imminent use of deadly force and state law allows police to use deadly force under those circumstances, District Attorney Beth McCann said.

Antonson told investigators that Debose pulled out a gun and pointed it at him as he chased Debose and he believed Debose was going to shoot him. His body camera footage, released by McCann, shows him chasing Debose, who dropped to the ground after shots were fired.

McCann said the darkness and vibration of the camera makes it hard to see the gun but said that Debose’s arms are raised in a way consistent with aiming a gun and the clinking sound heard in the video is Debose’s gun falling to the ground.

Protesters marched last week in Denver to call for justice for Debose, with some demonstrating outside McCann’s home.

McCann, a Democrat, said she supports the calls for justice and the examination of law enforcement actions and systematic racism in the criminal justice system following the death of George Floyd.

“I have and will continue to support Black Lives Matter and I recognize the immediate need to examine police practices as well as prosecution and judicial practices,” she said.