Cop Who Killed Unarmed Man Won't Be Charged

A Miami cop who shot an unarmed man in the head during a traffic stop won't face criminal charges, the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office announced Thursday.

Officer Joseph Marin shot and killed 36-year-old DeCarlos Moore on the afternoon of July 5.

The incident was ythe first in a string of police-involved shootings that brought the Miami Police Department heavy fire from critics who claimed cops were targeting African American males, some of whom were unarmed.

During a seven-month span beginning with Moore's death, police were responsible for shooting and killing seven black men.

Many critics, including Miami commissioners, blamed Chief Miguel Exposito for the shootings and Congresswoman Frederica Wilson requested a federal investigation into the incidents, which is underway.

But so far, no cops have faced any charges or disciplinary action.

Marin declined to answer questions by the state attorney's investigators, but instead hired lawyers to give his side of the story.

Moore was driving a car that had been reported stolen when he was stopped by Marin, police reports of the incident stated.

Moore got out of the car and walked toward Marin's patrol car, but then suddenly ran back to his vehicle.

Witnesses told investigators it looked like Moore reached into the car to get something, when Marin fired a single shot that hit Moore in the head. It was later determined Moore had no weapons in the car.

Police did find 23 rocks of crack cocaine in a baggie, which fell out of Moore's hand after he was shot.

Marin's attorneys told investigators he saw a "metallic object" in Moore's hand, which made him think Moore was armed.

More than a half dozen witnesses interviewed by the State Attorney's Office said they saw nothing in Moore's hand.

The State Attorney's report concluded Marin "reacted to the threat posed by the driver of the suspect stolen vehicle whom he believed to be armed with a firearm."

"The situation unfolded quickly and Officer Marin had to react in a split second to the perceived threat," the report stated.