Ruling Shields Federal Officers From Murder Charges

A court in Austin, Texas was set to hold a manslaughter trial for the white police detective who shot and killed an unarmed black man, Larry Jackson, Jr., until a judge dismissed the charges at the last minute. The judge ruled that officer acted as a member of a federal task force when the shooting occurred, and as a federal agent is shielded from state prosecution. The ruling, the Washington Post reports, “raises the question of when, if ever, a federal law enforcement officer can be charged with a crime for killing someone in the line of duty.” Thus far this year, federal officers have been involved in 33 fatal shootings nationwide, the Post reports.