Federal prosecutors won’t charge a D.C. police sergeant with shooting and killing a man who was running from officers last summer, citing insufficient evidence.
Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for D.C. said in a news release there is not enough evidence to pursue federal criminal civil rights charges or D.C. charges against Sgt. Reinaldo Otero-Camacho.
The USAO and D.C. police reviewed the July 30 shooting.
“This included a review of law enforcement and civilian eyewitness accounts, physical evidence, recorded body-worn camera footage, recorded radio communications, forensic reports, the autopsy report, and reports from the Metropolitan Police Department,” the release said.
Otero-Camacho responded to a call that Saturday at 4 p.m. in the Brightwood Park area of Northwest for two teens who were shot, prosecutors said in describing the evidence.
Radio dispatch relayed that one of the people involved got away in a white vehicle and when Otero-Camacho spotted it, and tried to pull the driver over, a chase began. Eventually, three people jumped out at Fort Slocum Park. Kevin Hargraves-Shird got out of the driver’s seat, but prosecutors said he came back, apparently looking for something in the vehicle.
Prosecutors noted that a neighborhood resident was hosting a party and had set up an inflatable moon-bounce for several children attending the party that obstructed their view of what was happening.
Moments before firing one shot from his service weapon, Otero-Camacho screamed “gun, gun, gun!” Evidence shows he hit 31-year-old Hargraves-Shird in the right ear. Officers at the scene provided emergency medical assistance, and Hargraves-Shird was taken to the hospital, where he later died.
Police said they found a loaded semi-automatic 9 mm pistol near Hargraves-Shird’s body, but prosecutors did not mention the gun in the release.
Following the shooting, Hargraves-Shird’s sister confronted the mayor during a news conference, saying her brother was not armed at the time.
New: Sister of man shot and killed by DC police just shouted down the mayor, saying her brother had no gun at the time. @WTOP pic.twitter.com/zRkpstnOJQ
— Nick Iannelli (@NickWTOP) August 5, 2022
After reviewing evidence, including body camera footage, they cannot prove Otero-Camacho used excessive force. Otero-Camacho has been on administrative leave since the shooting.
