KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Jackson County Prosecuting Attorney Jean Peters Baker said Monday her office will not pursue charges against a Kansas City, Missouri, police officer who shot and killed Donnie Sanders on March 12, 2020.
Baker said in a statement that her office was required to limit its review to whether or not criminal charges were warranted, rather than review other concerns raised by Sanders’ killing.
“Like others in our community, we mourn the loss of the victim,” Baker said in a statement. “These events exact a great toll on our community, a community searching for hope to heal and prevent the staggering high levels of violence in this city. We continue to search for new partners to address and suppress this violence and begin to heal the resulting trauma and harm for our community.”
A review of the case and interviews with witnesses generally corroborated portions of the account by the unnamed KCPD officer, according to a statement from the prosecutor's office. The officer described Sanders as potentially being armed and making a move toward the officer.
The investigation later revealed that Sanders was not armed.
Baker asked the Missouri State Highway Patrol to investigate the incident in October. She also sought the review of two other district attorney offices and, in both instances, no charges were recommended.
Baker said she notified Sanders’ family of her decision on Monday.
As part of Monday's announcement, prosecutors released dash cam video that captured part of the incident.
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This is a developing story and will be updated.
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