RICHMOND HEIGHTS, Mo. (AP) - No charges will be filed against against a police officer who fatally shot a man last year at the Galleria shopping mall, Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell said Tuesday.
Terry Tillman was killed by a Richmond Heights officer on Aug. 31, 2019.
Bell said Tuesday that video showed Tillman walking through the shopping mall with a high-capacity extended magazine visible in his waistband. He ran when two officers stopped him to discuss the weapon. As police chased him, they continually ordered him to drop the gun but Tillman did not comply, KSDK reported.
Bell said video footage showed Tillman getting within 5 feet of the Richmond Heights officer while holding the gun. The officer shot Tillman several times and stopped when he dropped the gun.
“There is no way to heal the loss of a son, father, brother or friend, and we regret the loss of this young man’s life. But the facts and law in this tragic case do not warrant criminal charges,” Bell said.
Tillman’s death led to several protests.
Dan Bruntrager, a lawyer for Tillman’s relatives, told the the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that Bell met with Tillman’s family and explained his decision.
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