The agent who fired the shots has been identified in reporting as Jonathan Ross, 43, described as a longtime federal officer with specialized firearms training and assignments connected to federal task forces. (People.com)
What’s now driving the public reaction isn’t only the shooting itself, but the direction the legal aftermath appears to be taking.
According to reporting, the Justice Department has declined to pursue a criminal civil-rights investigation into Good’s death. That decision matters because federal civil-rights prosecutions are one of the main pathways the federal government uses to charge law enforcement officers for on-duty killings. (Fox News) If DOJ doesn’t bring a case, the remaining plausible route for criminal prosecution shifts to Minnesota state authorities—an option that exists, but comes with serious legal and practical hurdles when the person involved is a federal officer acting under federal authority.
The core legal issue is the standard prosecutors would have to prove. Continue reading…
