The US Attorney’s Office for DC announced Thursday that no federal criminal civil rights charges will be brought against the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officer who fatally shot 18-year-old Deon Kay.
Kay’s death in early September had prompted a series of protests outside the Seventh District police station.
“Based on the results of a thorough investigation, the U.S. Attorney’s Office cannot prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the MPD officer who shot Mr. Kay committed willful violations of the applicable federal criminal civil rights statute,” the office said in Thursday’s statement.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office added that it has closed its investigation because it was “unable to disprove a claim of self-defense or defense of others by the officer involved.”
The officer fired a single shot at Kay within one second of Kay holding a gun in his hand and raising his arm, according to the statement.
Kay was shot on September 2 in the 200 block of Orange Street, Southeast, at around 4 pm. Uniformed patrol officers were investigating a man with a gun in the neighborhood after they received a tip about a group of men displaying firearms from inside of a parked car.
Police reportedly encountered individuals in and around a vehicle at the described location. Two of them immediately ran off upon seeing the officers and one brandished a firearm during the police’s chase, according to MPD.
An officer fired their weapon one time, in response to the threat, and shot the suspect in the chest, who was later identified as Kay. He was taken to George Washington University Hospital with life threatening injuries and was pronounced dead 45 minutes later.
Police arrested Marcyelle Smith, 19, and Deonte Brown, 18, both of Southeast DC, at the scene. Smith was charged for carrying a pistol without a license and Brown was charged with “no permit.”
DC Officer Fatally Shoots 18-Year-Old, Protesters Gather Outside Police Station