26-year-old Donte Shannon was shot and killed on January 17 by two Wisconsin police officers after fleeing from a traffic stop.
The two officers, Chad Stillman and Peter Boeck, have been cleared of criminal liability charges following an investigation of the incident, according to the Journal Sentinel.
Friends of the family outside the courthouse are receiving calls saying officers will not be charged in shooting death of Donte Shannon. One woman says she just spoke to Shannon’s mother. We haven’t officially received word pic.twitter.com/jZduXXZ9yt— David Schuman (@david_schuman) March 21, 2018
"Mr. Shannon's death was a direct result of his deadly threat to the officers," a statement released by District Attorney Tricia Hanson read.
Shannon was stopped by the officers as he did not have a front license plate on his vehicle. According to the release, Shannon was armed with a 9mm handgun, which he pointed at the officers despite their commands to drop his weapon and stand down. Three gunfire rounds were heard via audio recordings. The news release also stated that Shannon, who was on probation which prohibited him from possessing a firearm, was driving with a revoked license and in possession of marijuana at the time of the traffic stop.
"The officers fired at Mr. Shannon in response to his immediate threat to protect themselves and each other," noted the release.
"This incident should serve as a somber reminder to our community of both the dangers and consequences faced by law enforcement officers and citizens when firearms are introduced into the instant decision-making of a threatening encounter," said City of Racine Mayor Cory Mason in a statement to CBS affiliate WDJT.
The investigation has left Shannon's family members highly skeptical of the results.
“[The officers] are not being charged and that’s all we’re going to say right now,” said Nakia Shannon, Donte's father and the owner of the aforementioned firearm, according to The Journal Times.
“I’m not saying it’s a colored thing, but it’s a colored thing,” noted Donte's uncle, Isaac Shannon. “Any time [police officers] see us, they’re right outside our door. They’re waiting for us. Why? We have the right to live just like anyone else … you weren’t after him, but you chased him. What sense does that make?”
“They keep saying that they had the right to shoot him, that he pointed a gun at both of them, but I don’t believe my stepbrother would do anything like that,” said Darius Mayweather, Donte's stepbrother. “One thing I know for a fact is we’re not done fighting this. We’re going to keep fighting until my stepbrother gets justice … we’re not going to rest, we’re going to keep fighting.”
