Prosecutors declined to file charges against the federal agent who fatally shot a black man in Detroit, the Associated Press reports.
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The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent shot Terrance Kellom, 20, during a raid at his home in April. Agent Mitchell Quinn says Kellom attacked him with a hammer, but Kellom’s family says it was an execution, according to AP.
Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said at a press conference Wednesday that the shooting “was justified by the law of self-defense and the defense of others.” She added that the evidence supported Quinn’s version of the deadly encounter.
“Yes, black lives matter. Of course they matter. But you know what else matters? Credible facts matter. … Doing justice matters and the truth matters,” Worthy stated.
The incident occurred when law-enforcement officers attempted to arrest Kellom, who was wanted for armed robbery. According to a Huffington Post report, the officers were voluntarily allowed into the house where Kellom was upstairs. Quinn, who is also black, reportedly felt threatened when Kellom approached him with a hammer in his hand. The officer shot Kellom four times, according to Worthy. Protests erupted shortly after the killing.
Kellom’s father, Kevin Kellom, rejects the police’s version. “I was hoping it wouldn’t go that way,” he said after learning that the prosecutor will not indict Quinn. “You have young black men being killed by these police officers, and [they are] literally getting away with it. My son was assassinated.”
According to AP, the family plan to file a civil lawsuit. Their lawyer, Karri Mitchell, is also calling for an independent investigation into the shooting.
Read more at the Associated Press.
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