Cases of Excessive Force Where Officers Walked Away Free

Since the summer of 2020, when we saw an overwhelming number of police brutality cases, the officers accused of using excessive or deadly force against Black people have rarely been charged. FiveThiryEight found only 110 officers nationwide have been charged with murder in an on-duty shooting yet 1,000 people are shot and killed by police every year. A Washington Post database found 14 Black people have died by police shooting this year.

Though the officers who killed George Floyd were brought to justice, other families must live with the fact the officers who shot and killed their loved ones have not been held accountable for their actions. Some investigations are still pending, but below are the most recent incidents of officers escaping criminal charges.

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Breonna Taylor

Breonna Taylor was shot and killed by Louisville police officers in the middle of night after her boyfriend Kenneth Williams fired a warning shot at the apartment entrance, thinking they were intruders. One officer, Brett Hankison, was acquitted from his charge of wanton endangerment. The other officers were not charged, reported CNN.

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Jacob Blake

Blake, was shot in the back by Kenosha Officer Rusten Sheskey while resisting arrest and reportedly charging toward him with a knife. Blake was paralyzed from the waist down as a result. Federal prosecutors decided not to file charges against Sheskey, reported AP News.

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Antwon Rose II

Antwon Rose II, 17, was shot and killed by Officer Michael Rosfeld during a traffic stop. Rosfeld faced one criminal homicide charge in addition to first- and third-degree murder and manslaughter, but a jury found Rosfeld not guilty, per CNN.

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Keevin Robinson

Robinson, 22, died in police custody after being chased by officers in a narcotics trafficking investigation. The coroner deemed his caused of death as a homicide. No charges were brought against the officers but Robinson’s family reached a settlement of over $300,000 with the sheriff’s office, reported Fox8Live News.

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Cedric Lofton

Lofton, 17, died in police custody after being handcuffed and restrained lying face down for 30 minutes. The Kansas district attorney cited the “stand your ground” law to justify not charging the officers in connected to Lofton’s death, reported CNN.

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Amir Locke

Locke, 22, was shot and killed by Minneapolis SWAT officers during a no-knock search warrant raid. Minnesota prosecutors declined to file charges against Officer Mark Hanneman, the officer who shot Locke, reported AP News.

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Kisha Michael and Marquintan Sandlin

Inglewood police officers shot and killed the couple while they were in their car after being found unconscious. The officers said they thought the two were reaching for a firearm. The Los Angeles district attorney said there was probably cause to believe the officers feared for their life and declined to file charges against them, reported NBC Los Angeles.

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Jim Rogers

Jim Rogers, 54, was tased 10 times by Pittsburgh police officers as they tried to arrest him for an alleged theft of a bicycle. He died at the hospital the next day of lack of oxygen to the brain, reported WTAE. Three of the five officers involved have been reinstated to their jobs. A jury is deciding on whether they could face criminal charges.

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John Neville

Neville, 56, died in police custody after deputies held him on his stomach, pulling his arms behind his back and raising his legs to his wrists, causing him to have trouble breathing. None of the deputies have been charged, reported News&Observer.

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Byron Williams

Williams died in Las Vegas police custody as a result of being handcuffed and prone out on his stomach. He signaled to officers 24 times he could not breathe. The Clark County district attorney’s office found no “criminal prosecution” of the officers involved would be “appropriate,” reported KTNV Las Vegas.

Cases of Excessive Force Where Officers Walked Away Free

Most recently, the officer shot and killed Amir Locke will not be facing criminal charges.

Breonna Taylor

Breonna Taylor

Jacob Blake

Jacob Blake

Antwon Rose II

Antwon Rose II

Keevin Robinson

Keevin Robinson

Cedric Lofton

Cedric Lofton

Amir Locke

Amir Locke

Kisha Michael and Marquintan Sandlin

Kisha Michael and Marquintan Sandlin

Jim Rogers

Jim Rogers

John Neville

John Neville

Byron Williams

Byron Williams