A southwest Missouri prosecutor has ruled that officers were justified in using deadly force in two separate incidents during 2013.
Greene County prosecutor Dan Patterson issued the rulings Tuesday.
On Feb. 22, Springfield police investigating commercial burglaries shot and killed 29-year-old Martin Potts. The officers said Potts opened fire as they tried to execute a search warrant at a Springfield home.
One shot grazed a detective, and the officers returned fire.
Greene County sheriff’s deputies shot and killed 33-year-old Joshua Ford on Dec. 1 after a homeowner reported a suspicious man near the town of Bois D’Arc (BOH’ dark). The deputies said Ford charged them with what he claimed was a gun. It turned out to be a cellphone wrapped in a piece of clothing.