Grand jury: No indictment of Mississippi police officer

Source: Associated Press

Grand jury: No indictment of Mississippi police officer

Emily Wagster Pettus and Cain Burdeau, Associated Press

Updated 4:10 pm, Monday, January 11, 2016

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A grand jury in Mississippi declined to indict a white police officer in the death of a black man, saying the man died of asphyxiation after ingesting too much cocaine and that the officer did not use excessive force.

Stonewall officer Kevin Herrington stopped Jonathan Sanders, who was riding a horse and buggy, in July. The circumstances surrounding Sanders' death were unclear at the time, prompting protests and allegations of police brutality.

Herrington had "reasonable suspicion to believe Jonathan Sanders was involved in drug activity," according to the grand jury report released Monday. The report said Sanders died of asphyxiation associated with "acute cocaine toxicity," based on reports and testimony from the medical examiner. The cocaine caused bleeding in Sanders' neck, which in turn caused problems with breathing and blood flow that caused his death.

The report also said there was no evidence the officer used racial slurs during the confrontation, which came as the nation wrestled with the high-profile deaths of black men in police custody.

Read more: http://www.chron.com/news/crime/article/Grand-jury-No-indictment-of-Mississippi-police-6750884.php