Family speaks
Johnson’s family met with Jocelyn Wright, a special deputy attorney general with the N.C. Department of Justice, on Wednesday morning to discuss the decision. Wright was the special prosecutor assigned to the case.
In a brief news conference afterward, attorney Xavier de Janon, who is representing Johnson’s estate in a federal lawsuit filed last month against Borom, Rugg and the city of Fayetteville, said the decision against charging the officers was disappointing and took too long.
“It’s not clear how with these facts, the officer did not commit a crime,” de Janon said.
However, the outcome was not a shock, he said.
“Even though we disagree with their decision, we’re not surprised,” de Janon said. “It’s tragic, but this is consistent with what has been happening with NCDOJ with officer shootings, officer killings.”
Related: A timeline of the fatal police shooting of a Fayetteville mother
De Janon said the North Carolina Department of Justice has never prosecuted a police officer in cases like Johnson’s.
“You have no government body to turn to when you suffer that kind of injustice,” he said.
Johnson’s grandparents did not speak during the conference, watching solemnly as de Janon spoke. Rick Iwanski, Johnson’s grandfather, said Wednesday the family will not be speaking to the press on the advice of their attorneys.
Once the Department of Justice has formally closed the investigation, Johnson’s family will submit a request to receive the department’s report on its findings, de Janon said.
Until then, the next step for Johnson’s family is to proceed with the federal lawsuit, which has been assigned a judge and is expected to enter the discovery phase soon, he said.
“It’s very clear in the lawsuit,” de Janon said. “We narrate very clearly, step-by-step what happened that night.”
The goal, he explained, is to get justice for Johnson.
“It’s sad that when someone calls 911 asking for help in a mental health crisis, officers arrive looking for a crime,” he said. “We will continue to seek justice in places where we might have a better chance of getting it.”
Public safety reporter Lexi Solomon can be reached at ABSolomon@gannett.com. F.T. Norton can be reached at fnorton@fayobserver.com.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: No charges to be filed in fatal shooting by police of Jada Johnson
Article Appeared @https://news.yahoo.com/no-charges-filed-fatal-shooting-145741956.html?.tsrc=daily_mail&uh_test=0_00