Denver DA Fails to Charge Police Officer who Shot Unarmed Latino Man.

Denver DA Fails to Charge Police Officer who Shot Unarmed Latino Man. Grand Jury will Decide

• Frank Lobato had a Soda Can in his hand, NOT A GUN. Police shoot and kill

Denver District Attorney Bill Ritter tossed a police shooting investigation to a grand jury Thursday for the first time in his 12-year tenure. Ritter will present the case against officer Ranjan Ford Jr., 34, in the July 12 shooting death of 63-year-old Frank Lobato to the grand jury on Wednesday. Lobato's death was the latest in a series of controversial police shootings that triggered sweeping reforms in the police use-of-force policy and the department's civilian oversight. Ritter has never charged an officer involved in a shooting with a crime. Only two other such cases have been forwarded to the grand jury in the past 27 years. Both cases resulted in criminal charges against the officers. Both officers were later found not guilty. Ritter wouldn't discuss the details of the shooting nor would he say what led him to seek another opinion. The decision came as no comfort to Lobato's family members in California, who heard the news after one of them was contacted by Denver attorney Kenneth Padilla moments after Ritter's announcement. "This is a clear case where criminal charges should be brought," Padilla said. "I did not hear any good reason to use a grand jury. . . . There is no reason why the district attorney should not step to the plate." Leroy Lemos, a Lobato family spokesman and community activist, said "We're in the same place as we were yesterday," Lemos said. "The family wants to know what it takes to get justice in Denver." [more ]

• Latino Man had a Soda Can in his hand, NOT A GUN. Police shoot and kill. [more]
• Shootings by Denver Police Prompt Outcry: ENOUGH IS ENOUGH [more]