(Memphis) The fate of a fired Memphis police officer rests in the hands of District Attorney Amy Weirich.
Twenty-three year-old Alex Beard lost his job this week for his part in a fatal crash that killed a mother and daughter.
Police say he broke department policy when he was speeding on his way to a non-emergency call without his blue lights and siren on.
Now, it is up to the district attorney to decide if the former officer’s actions that day were also criminal.
“I think the public wants us to make sure we make a thorough and well thought out decision and we will do that in this case,” said Weirich.
District Attorney Amy Weirich says she still hasn’t seen the results of the Tennessee Highway Patrol investigation turned over to her office last week.
Other assistant prosecutors are now looking over it.
She said, “We are in the process of reviewing it and making decisions.”
She wont estimate how long the review will take but she’ll have the final say in whether former officer Alex Beard is prosecuted for the deaths of Deloise Epps, her 13-year-old daughter Mackala and the injuries of two other passengers.
“I wish that we could give families some immediacy in terms of the decisions we have to make. That’s not what you want us to do,” said Weirich.
Two weeks ago, Weirich decided there wasn’t enough evidence to prosecute Officer Terrance Shaw for shooting a 15-year-old boy.
Last week, we learned she didn’t prosecute seven police officers suspended for beating two University of Memphis students.
The family of the Crump crash victims worry if this is a trend, when it comes to prosecuting those who wear a badge. Niece of the victim explains what she hopes the DA will do.
Shaquitta Epps message to the DA, “Do the right thing and bring charges against him.”
Weirch responds, “They are looked at like everyone else and we understand how important it is to the public that we speak.”
Weirich says each case is different and decisions are based on law, nothing else.
She said, “Lady Liberty is blindfolded for a reason and what we do is dictated by justice and by the facts, by the evidence and by the law.”
