No charges in shooting of Roberts

King County Prosecutor Norm Maleng yesterday announced that he won't pursue further legal action against the Seattle police officers involved in the fatal shooting of Aaron Roberts, agreeing with an internal police review, also released yesterday, that found the shooting entirely justified.

Neither decision came as any surprise to the officers or the family of Aaron Roberts, especially since an inquest jury this month unanimously agreed with the police version of the shooting.

"This kind of completes the circle of public inquiry and answers any questions the public might still have about whether this shooting was justified or not," said Lisa Marchese, a lawyer for Officers Greg Neubert and Craig Price. "Now everyone can really heal from this and put it past them and move on."

Roberts died May 31 after Price shot him once as Roberts drove away from a traffic stop in the Central Area. The officers said Price fired to protect Neubert, who was being dragged down the street by Roberts' car.

Yesterday, Maleng's office released a detailed report on the shooting, concluding it was justified. Under state law, the report says, officers may not be "held criminally liable for using deadly force without malice and with a good faith belief that such act is justifiable."

"There is no evidence to overcome this defense," the prosecutor's report says. "The amount of force was reasonable under all of the circumstances."

The Police Department's Firearms Review Board report drew similar conclusions.

"When Roberts refused to stop the vehicle, Officer Price had no immediate reasonable option but to discharge his firearm at Aaron Roberts in order to save his partner's life," the police report concludes.

The police-review board also declined to recommend any other discipline or training for Neubert and Price. It did suggest that the department's training section review the circumstances in case safety training might need to be improved.

For the Roberts family, the reports added to the disgust they have felt, they said yesterday. Throughout the inquest, the family said, the system was set up to clear the officers and ignore their complaints. The family has not discussed plans for any further legal action.

"Every unarmed black man killed by the Seattle Police Department since 1964 has been decided to be justifiable homicide," Roberts' mother, Deloris, said yesterday. "May 31 was no different. Why waste taxpayer money, when it was already established at the time? Why did it take the prosecuting attorney two weeks to announce his decision when it was already determined on May 31?

"It's just another black person murdered by the police."

Ian Ith can be reached at 206-464-2109 or iith@seattletimes.com