No charges in killing by officer

Prosecutors in Missouri have dropped all charges against a Kansas City police officer who was charged in the nonfatal shooting of an unarmed man, arguing the case was not strong enough to secure a conviction.

In February, a state grand jury determined there was probable cause to indict Jacob Ramsey, 31, on charges of first-degree assault and armed criminal action in the June 24 shooting of Anthony Contreras, 37. Ramsey had said he fired because he thought Contreras was reaching for a gun. Contreras was struck in the face.

In a letter to the Kansas City police chief, Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker said that Contreras made inaccurate statements to the grand jury. She added that a witness told police that Contreras had said he would “rather shoot it out with police or make them think he had a weapon and be shot than return to jail.”