A Franklin County grand jury has voted not to indict a white Columbus police officer for fatally shooting a 13-year-old African-American boy after a suspected robbery last year.
The grand jury voted Friday not to indict Officer Bryon Mason in the September 2016 shooting of Tyre King. Police say Mason shot the teen after he pulled a BB gun from his waistband during a foot pursuit. Police have said King was in a group of young men who had robbed a man of 10 dollars at gunpoint. The shooting of King has prompted protests in Columbus and disruptions at city council meetings. Mason had three previous shootings and one fatality on his record before he shot and killed King. Mason was assigned to desk duty after the King shooting. In a written statement, the King family says it “is saddened and completely dissatisfied” but not surprised by the decision. The statement criticizes police, Mayor Andy Ginther and Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O’Brien. The family says evidence presented to the grand jury was from police. The family also criticizes the lack of an independent investigation of the shooting, which it says O'Brien refused to grant. O'Brien notes dozens of witnesses testified before the grand jury, including King's mother.
