SPRINGFIELD, MO. • Greene County prosecutors say they aren't filing charges against a police officer who killed an unarmed man in February.
Prosecutor Dan Patterson said Friday he won't charge officer Andrew Bath in the Feb. 17 shooting of Michael Ireland because the shooting was legally justified, according to the Springfield News-Leader. The officer says he thought the suspect was reaching for a weapon.
Patterson also says Ireland's toxicology report was positive for drugs including morphine and oxymorphone.
Ireland's stepsister Christi Stockwell said she was stunned and disappointed by the decision not to file charges.
Joshua Roberts, a lawyer representing Michael Ireland's father, said he anticipates the family asking for a federal investigation into the case.