MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A Shelby County sheriff’s deputy involved in the fatal shooting of a driver who sped off during a traffic stop in Memphis will not be criminally charged, District Attorney Steve Mulroy said Tuesday.
The news prompted a fiery response from county Sheriff Floyd Bonner, who said he was relieved the now-injured deputy woud not face charges, but chastised Mulroy for his investigation.
Jarveon Hudspeth, 21, was shot and killed by a deputy during a traffic stop on June 24 on Rosswood Avenue in Raleigh. The deputy was injured.
The case attracted the attention of civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who joined the family in demanding the release of video in the incident.
That video was released by Mulroy in August. It shows Hudspeth, who admitted he had a weapon, get back in his car and hit the gas, as the deputy jumps inside the vehicle, holding on.
You can see Hudspeth then trying to kick the deputy out of the car. That’s when the deputy, who has been identified only by the last name Conder, fires at least one shot, killing Hudspeth.
“The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office is relieved that the DA followed the law and decided not to bring charges against Deputy Conder, who is still recovering from the devastating injuries he suffered when Jarveon Hudspeth chose to disobey the Deputy’s commands,” Sheriff Floyd Bonner said in a statement Tuesday.
“Had he simply followed the Deputy’s instructions, he would certainly be alive and the Deputy would be at work,” Bonner said.
Bonner continued:
“The DA has Monday-morning quarterbacked the Deputy’s actions—and ignored that once Mr. Hudspeth got back into the car, he had a gun available to him, making him a lethal threat. He also ignores that the Deputy, who had split seconds to act, could have been severely injured had he tried to escape the car as Mr. Hudspeth was stepping on the gas. …
“We wish the DA would confine himself to his job and stop reviewing officers’ decision-making processes when he has not learned enough to be able to do so. We join others in urging him to take courses in Force Science.”