A jury in Crawford County, Missouri, made a unanimous decision in the case of Justin King, concluding that the 28-year-old Black and Filipino man was justifiably shot and killed by his neighbor in a trailer park community, NBC News reports. The jury's decision on Tuesday aimed to help the coroner reach a judgment in how King died. 

According to KMOV4, Crawford County Prosecutor David Smith said the results of the inquest don't determine if the county prosecutors will press charges, but it can have some impact. Sheriff Darin Layman added that the six jurors were selected from Crawford County but not Bourbon, where the killing happened. 

When the investigation initially opened, the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office said King was shot on Nov. 3 when he “forced entry into a neighboring residence” in Bourbon, located near St. Louis. Investigators said at the time the homeowner “feared for his life,” according to NBC News.

Loved ones and community members who refute the police statement held protests during the past two months to demand justice for the 28-year-old.

“The only person that says it’s a home invasion is the guy that shot my son,” said John King, King’s father, according to NBC News. “And all the neighbors are saying, ‘No, you shot him in cold blood outside.’”

Community leaders and his family dispute the police's findings

Nimrod Chapel Jr., the president of the Missouri NAACP, is representing the King family and said the young man was shot outside the neighbor’s home and that he had not entered it.

"The family is distraught. They were promised the evidence, and what they ended up with was seeing their son being vilified," Chapel said, according to NBC News. "They do not accept the findings of the coroner's jury and have great issues with the process and the manner in which that finding was found and has been articulated."

John said that his son was the only Black person in the trailer community. The grieving father said he believes the shooting was an act of “racially motivated hate.” Chapel echoes the family's argument. 

"This is a pattern of conduct that we see in rural Missouri," he said. "There's a reluctance to hold assailants accountable when the victims are Black. It's a terrible reality that we have here in Missouri."

When he was shot on Nov. 3 in the trailer park community, neighbors heard gunshots and found him lying on the ground outside the shooter's trailer. 

Surveillance footage allegedly show the 28-year-old entering the home

The neighbor hasn't been named because he's not facing charges.

"It's a horrible situation," the unnamed neighbor told NBC News. 

According to Missouri’s “castle doctrine” law, people are allowed to use deadly force against intruders without the duty to retreat. 

Police said surveillance footage from Justin's trailer showed him entering his neighbor's residence, leaving, then quickly entering again upset. The Missouri man was shot three times — in the leg, thigh and chest before he died, according to investigators. 

The jury reviewed the statement from the homeowner, who was brought in for questioning and recorded. According to the shooter, Justin broke into his house and damaged several TVs. The neighbor added that Justin may have been high from taking pills. He also said he tried to scare Justin with his gun and aimed at his legs, but the alleged intruder kept charging at him even after he was shot in the leg.

John said he's disappointed with the lack of transparency in the investigation, particularly with the sheriff selecting the jurors.

"Of course, he's going to select six people that are going to corroborate what he thought happened," the devastated father said, according to KMOV4. "Justin went inside the house, obviously, he was irritated about something. If he ripped the television off the wall and threw them, show me the fingerprints. The prosecutors say the fingerprints are smudged."

Investigators said the shooter gave Justin a marijuana cigarette

While toxicology reports showed that Justin had THC and meth in his body, investigators said the shooter gave a marijuana cigarette to Justin. The shooter told police that the marijuana wasn't laced. Smith, who spoke to the King family during a recess at the inquest, said there wasn't any evidence of marijuana recovered.

Witness Katherine Bosek said Justin helped her look for her dog before the shooting. Bosek also said Justin and the shooter helped her start her car. 

The family now plans to move forward with their effort to find justice. 

"This is not over. It's far from over," John said.