TACOMA, Wash. — A prosecutor has legally cleared a Tacoma officer of wrongdoing after the policeman fatally shot a man.
Pierce County Prosecutor Mary Robnett said in her decision Tuesday that the officer acted lawfully when he fired 11 shots at Bennie Branch, hitting him seven times on September 8, 2019.
Those that want the officer, Ryan Bradley, charged argue Branch, a 24-year-old Black man, wasn’t armed and say the gunshots to his backside prove he was trying to run away.
The prosecutor says Branch had an Airsoft gun that resembled a handgun and was violent in resisting police.
The News Tribune reports the Tacoma Police Department will review the case internally to determine whether Bradley followed proper protocols.
In June of this year, almost a year after the deadly shooting, Branch's family filed an excessive force claim against the city and Bradley.
