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The LAPD Officers who shot and killed Ezell Ford will not face any criminal charges, according to the L.A. Times. Los Angeles prosecutors announced the decision Tuesday.
Ford was shot and killed on August 11, 2014, by officers Sharlton Wampler and Antonio Villegas. He was 25 years old and had been previously diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
Wampler and Villegas claim that Ford tried to take Wampler's gun, in a physical altercation that took place after the officers stopped Ford under suspicion that he was trying to discard an illegal substance. Three eyewitnesses have contradicted that account, saying Wampler tackled Ford to ground for no reason, and that Ford had had his hands up. Prosecutors said on Tuesday that forensic evidence disputed their testimony, claiming the officers responded with force "in fear for their lives."
"The last bit of hope that we had is crushed,” Ford's mother, Tritobia Ford told reporters in response to the decision. “These officers are going scot-free. They’re getting away with murder. There’s no justice for Ezell.”
Read the full story here.