Cop not prosecuted in Schiedam fatal police shooting

The police officer who fired the shot that killed Mitchel Winters in the Prinses Beatrixpark in Schiedam at the end of May will not be prosecuted, the Public Prosecutor in Rotterdam announced on Wednesday, the Telegraaf reports.

"The policeman used his firearm according to the rules", according to the prosecutor who led the investigation into this incident. "Considering all facts and circumstances, the police officer's assessment of imminent danger was real and was he allowed to act like he did."

The shooting happened as the officer was trying to arrest Winters. During the arrest, Winters refused to show the officer what was in his hands and ran at the officer pointing a black object at him. The officer fired his gun, and hit Winters once. He died at the scene.

The Prosecutor acknowledges that no firearm was found after the shooting. "But the policeman could reasonably believe that he was being attacked with a firearm and that his life was in danger. Legally seen, the officer can call on putative self-defense."

According to the Prosecutor, the investigation done by the Rijksrecherche - the department that handles internal investigations at the police - showed that Winters deliberately sought confrontation with the police by making a false report of a robbery and giving his own description. He also made statements to friends that could indicate an impending farewell.