CANTON, Ohio — A grand jury has declined to file criminal charges against a Canton police officer who fatally shot a man on New Year's Day, Stark County Prosecutor Kyle Stone announced in a Wednesday press conference.
The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation led the inquiry into the case involving Officer Robert Huber, who shot and killed 46-year-old James Williams after the latter apparently fired celebratory gunshots into the air from the yard of his 10th Street Southwest home. After the BCI shared its findings with Stone, his office presented jurors with a "wide range" of potential felony and misdemeanor charges, but the group ultimately decided not to indict Huber.
"I understand that this is not the outcome that some people wanted," Stone told reporters, "but I want to assure this community that we presented this case in a fair and just manner."
Body camera footage from the incident that occurred just after midnight showed Huber firing multiple bullets through Williams' fence, only identifying himself as an officer and yelling for Williams to "Get down!" after Williams had already been shot. Williams later died at a local hospital.
Following the footage's release, Attorney General Dave Yost told 3News his office would "find all the facts before we come to a conclusion," also sharing his belief that the video alone "doesn't show you an awful lot of context." Stone also maintained a tone of neutrality, saying today he "did not let public opinion or anything of the sort to sway how we operated and presented this case."
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Williams' family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit and publicly condemned Huber's actions. Stone said he reached out to their attorneys after the grand jury declined to indict, but they have yet to release a public statement.
3News' Neil Fischer spoke to members of Williams' family on Wednesday evening. They were part of a group of protesters who gathered in downtown Canton after the grand jury decision was announced.
"We knew we wouldn't get a fair trial in Stark County," said Williams' cousin James. "You shot a man through a privacy gate and made it as it that's self defense."
"Out of the blue, [James] said he got shot, he got hit," Williams' widow Marquetta told The Canton Repository back in January regarding the events of that night. "I don't know where it came from. Nobody said anything. They didn't say, 'Police.' They didn't say, 'Freeze.' They didn't say, 'Drop your weapon.' They just shot him."
Marquetta Williams stood with Canton residents in solidarity during the protests on Wednesday.
"It is an atrocity against the Williams family that they act as though James' life did not matter at all," added Canton resident Skylark Bruce. "For no charges of any kind is absurdity. That's just ridiculous."
The Canton Police Department has mostly remained silent since the investigation began, only saying in an official press release that Huber was "in fear for his safety" when he fired his own weapon. Stone cited another Repository article where Police Chief John Gabbard said the force would conduct its own internal review once criminal proceedings had concluded.
"With the grand jury deciding not to indict, no further action will be taken by my office," Stone stated, adding BCI was expected to release the full findings of its report later this afternoon.