No criminal charges for Baltimore officers in Rochester killing
Prosecutors say police acted ‘reasonably’ and ‘lawfully’ when they fired at teen
Baltimore Police officers acted “reasonably and lawfully” when they fired weapons at Donnell Rochester, killing him, in a February interaction that began with an attempted police stop for an outstanding bench warrant, according to the Baltimore State’s Attorney’s Office.
The office’s Public Trust and Police Integrity Unit wrote in an 11-page report that Rochester, 18, drove a vehicle toward one officer, creating a “life-threatening situation,” as he attempted to avoid capture.
For that reason, prosecutors wrote, both officers were justified in firing their weapons. No criminal charges against either are expected.
“I’m upset,” said Rochester’s aunt, Shawnta Kernesy, who has participated in rallies demanding criminal charges against the officers involved.
“That’s not what we’re looking for.” Officials previously identified the officers involved as Connor Murray and Robert Mauri, members of the department’s Mobile Metro Unit.
Murray and Mauri are on duty in an administrative capacity while the department conducts an internal investigation of the shooting, a police spokesperson said Thursday.
Kernesy said the family is still considering legal action against the police department.
Rochester’s Feb. 19 killing prompted protests and calls for criminal charges against the officers who opened fire. Some criticized what they called an aggressive approach by officers; others have argued “driving while Black” is not a crime.
The teen dreamed of becoming a star in Hollywood, his mother told protesters at a gathering last year. Danielle Brown, Rochester’s mother, said he had a bright smile and infectious energy.
Police have said there was an open bench warrant for Rochester because he failed to appear in court for a carjacking charge. Brown said the family moved and he might not have received court notices sent to a prior address.
The report from the State’s Attorney’s Office said patrol officers ran the tags of a Honda Accord while working in a proactive unit near the area of Belair Road and Erdman Avenue.
Baltimore Police Commissioner Michael Harrison previously told reporters officers were using license plate readers and approached Rochester because they thought he had a warrant for his arrest.
Harrison said officers were in the area due to a string of armed robberies.
Officers followed the vehicle, but Rochester sped away, the report said. They later found the car in the 1800 block of Chilton Street, the report said.
Rochester initially wasn’t in the vehicle but then got back inside and accelerated toward one officer. That officer, previously identified as Murray, fired three rounds at the vehicle. As he tried to get out of the way of the car, he fired a fourth.
A second officer, Mauri, saw the car drive toward Murray and fired two rounds at Rochester, the report said.
The car continued to move until it hit a parked vehicle. Body-camera footage released by Baltimore Police shows Rochester getting out of the vehicle, hands raised, then falling to the ground.
Police handcuffed him and rolled him onto his back, footage shows. They then realized Rochester had been struck and called over the radio for a medic.
The medical examiner found Rochester had two gunshot wounds from a single bullet, which entered his right arm, traveled into his torso and struck his lung and heart, according to the report.
The Attorney General’s Independent Investigations Division, charged with investigating statewide fatalities involving police officers, including fatal police shootings, has not publicly released its report into Rochester’s death.
Its online tracker says its report was forwarded to the Baltimore State’s Attorney’s Office last August.
Baltimore Police shot and killed two people last year.
Tyree Moorehead, 46, was shot and killed by officers in November. That investigation is ongoing, according to the unit’s website.
Investigators are also looking into two fatal vehicle crashes and an in-custody death involving Baltimore Police.