The fatal shooting of a 25-year-old Titusville man by police in February was deemed “lawful and justified” following a months-long inquiry by the state attorney’s office.
The 18th Judicial Circuit said on Tuesday that its examination of the Feb. 7 shooting determined that the officers’ use of force was lawful in Tri-Marea Charles’ death.
The Titusville Police Department said that police had responded to a suspicious situation off Robins Avenue.
Titusville Police Chief John Lau spoke with neighbors at an NAACP meeting days after the incident, saying officers encountered Charles after he bolted and dropped a gun.
According to a letter from the state attorney’s office, Charles picked up a weapon, dropped it, then raced toward an officer and an adjacent home before being shot by the first officer.
Charles was transferred to a hospital and pronounced dead.
According to the state attorney’s office, Charles was shot ten times.
The letter also indicates that police got many reports reporting “shots fired” at the property in the weeks preceding the incident.
“The conduct of Mr. Charles represented an active resistance with violence to being taken into custody. This fact evidenced a clear and present danger to not only the officers but others in the area prompting the use of force by each officer,” the state attorney’s office said in the letter.
The police agency stated that Charles’ family members will be seen body camera footage of the shooting this week, which they have been requesting for months.
“I still do not have closure for what happened to my son. I am still hearing rumors every day, it’s just a tragedy, I am just over it,” Samantha Charles, his mother, said in May. “I am about to break.”
The body camera footage would then be made available to the public on Friday, the department stated.
“During this investigation, we remained committed to being transparent throughout the entire process, allowing FDLE to conduct their independent investigation and the Brevard State Attorney to conduct the review,” according to a press statement.
