TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — The officers involved in three deadly officer-involved shootings in Tallahassee, including the one who shot and killed Natosha 'Tony' McDade, will not be charged with a crime.
The State Attorney's office announced the Leon County Grand Jury's decision Friday afternoon.
In the no true bill presentments, the Grand Jury concluded that the officers who shot and killed Mychael Johnson, Tony McDade and Wilbon Woodard were all justified in their use of force.
Following the release of the Grand Jury decision, the Tallahassee Police Department released incident videos from each of the three scenes.
They note that, due to ongoing litigation regarding Marsy’s Law in the Johnson and McDade shootings, the videos contain redactions. You can view all three videos below.
“I’d like to thank the Grand Jury for its service. These citizens provided a valuable service to our community, and I hope that its findings today can help us begin to heal,” Chief Lawrence Revell said in a statement sent Friday afternoon.
Tallahassee Mayor John Dailey also held a press conference less than an hour after the presentments came down where he called for three reforms:
Friday evening, the Florida Police Benevolent Association released the following statement saying that they were grateful to the grand jury.
"The PBA is grateful for the citizens of this community who served on the Grand Jury this week. We know that giving up four days of their time was difficult and stressful during the pandemic, but without citizens such as them, the process could not work.
Officers today face increasing scrutiny and pressure to do their jobs and to do them right. No officer wants to find themselves in the position where they must take a life, but sometimes situations and circumstances present no other choice.
We are thankful that after being presented all of the evidence, the Grand Jury determined that these officers acted in accordance with the law and in self-defense. These officers were brave and served the citizens of this community well.
The wheels of justice can be slow which can be difficult for many to understand but, the PBA is thankful to all of those who took the time to complete thorough and fair investigations to present to the Grand Jury.
It is our sincere hope that these findings help this community to unite and begin to heal. We are aware of the many issues facing law enforcement and the minority communities in this country, but it is our hope that we can begin to heal together. It must start somewhere, so we urge all community leaders, to join together to promote conversation and tolerance for all."
On May 27, a Tallahassee police officer shot and killed McDade after McDade allegedly stabbed another person to death and pointed a gun at the officer. The identity of the officer involved in the shooting has not been released.
Officer Involved Shooting of Natosha McDade 5-27-2020_Redacted by WTXL ABC 27 on Scribd
On May 19, an TPD officer “had to use deadly force” in the confrontation with Wilbon Woodard, who they say was armed with a knife and charged at the officer who ultimately shot and killed him.
Officer Involved Shooting of Wilbon Woddard 5-19-2020_Redacted by WTXL ABC 27 on Scribd
On March 20, documents say Mychael Johnson was shot and killed after a carjacking on Blairstone Road. Documents say an officer tackled Johnson as he was attempting to carjack van.
While they were both on the ground, the presentment said that Johnson tried to "forcefully" take the officer's gun. Another officer, seeing what was occurring, fired a single gunshot at Johnson, killing him.
Officer Involved Shooting of Mychael Johnson 3-20-2020_Redacted_1 by WTXL ABC 27 on Scribd
This is a breaking news story. Stay with us for details.
