Detroit police officers who fired 38 rounds at a 20-year-old Black man wielding a knife will not be charged for his death, a county prosecutor said.
Porter Burks, who police said had schizophrenia, was believed to be experiencing a mental health crisis when he was fatally struck 19 times during a confrontation with officers early on the morning of Oct. 2.
Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy announced her decision not to prosecute responding officers Wednesday, saying they had minimal time to “eliminate the threat,” the Detroit Free Press reported.
“The police spent a significant amount of time trying to get him to drop his weapon,” Worthy wrote in a statement. “He suddenly ran at them with the knife and covered the distance between them in approximately three seconds. Eyewitnesses to the shooting were interviewed and indicated that the police did all that they could to de-escalate the situation before Mr. Burks charged at the police.”