Manslaughter charges against seven Oklahoma police officers involved in three fatal shootings have been dropped, officials say.
All of the incidents occurred in 2020. In one of the cases, five officers had been charged in the deadly shooting of aOklahoma County District Attorney Vicki Behenna said her office has decided to dismiss the charges after a team of attorneys spent "hundreds of hours" reviewing the cases.
One of the shootings occurred in The Village, Oklahoma, in July 2020. Cpl. Chance Avery, an officer with the Village Police Department, was charged with first-degree manslaughter and second-degree murder after he shot and killed 49-year-old Christopher Poor during a domestic incident inside Poor's home. Body camera footage showed Avery repeatedly telling Poor to drop a bat, then firing as Poor advanced toward him.
"I want to make sure that all of us are respectful of the families of the individuals that lost their life," Behenna said on Friday. "These families are grieving. This decision that has been made is difficult. And no matter what this office does or says, these families are forever changed."Sean Murphy/AP
"I think that's what most metropolitan areas do, and I feel confident in the grand jury process that we can do a thorough review of the case and make decisions, again, that are evidence-based and consistent with the law in Oklahoma," Behenna said.The Village Police Department said they "strongly agree" with the district attorney's decision to dismiss the charge against Avery.
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