Although he broke an unarmed woman's eye socket with his fist back in June, prosecutors have decided not to charge a Seattle police officer for his actions.
According to the Seattle Times, Miyekko Durden-Bosley, 23, was arrested by officer Adley Shepherd outside of her boyfriend's home. Durden-Bosley was reportedly intoxicated and "verbally abusive" towards Shepherd, kicking him and cursing at him while being placed in the back of a police car. That's when Shepherd punched the handcuffed Durden-Bosley in the face, shattering her eye socket. Worse, the incident was captured by Shepherd's dashboard camera.
Regardless, the King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg announced that no charges will be filed against the 38-year-old Shepherd. As the Times points out, Satterberg's decision differs greatly from the views of City Attorney Pete Holmes:
Satterberg’s decision reflects a deep difference of opinion between his office and City Attorney Pete Holmes, whose criminal chief reviewed the case earlier and thought it “undoubtedly met the felony standard,” according to a news release issued by Holmes on Friday.
Holmes sent the case to Satterberg because the city attorney has no jurisdiction to prosecute felony crimes.
It now appears Shepherd will not be charged criminally unless the U.S. Attorney’s Office determines that his actions violate federal civil-rights criminal statutes. Such prosecutions are very rare and hard to prove.
Shepherd, a nine-year veteran of the police department, has been on paid leave since the incident. The Times adds that federal prosecutors will review the occurrence.
[via Seattle Times]
