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No Charges Against West Memphis Police in Killing of DeAuntae Farrow

A special prosecutor for the Arkansas State Police announced that a criminal investigation into the June 22nd West Memphis police killing of 12-year-old DeAuntae Farrow turned up no evidence to support criminal charges against West Memphis police officer Erik Sammis, who shot the boy, or his partner Jimmy Ellis.

Sammis and Ellis were staking out an apartment complex next to the one Farrow lived in, when they saw Farrow and his cousin playing nearby. The officers claim that they mistook Farrow’s toy pistol for a real gun in the dark. They ordered the boys to lay down. Farrow’s cousin obliged, officers say, but Farrow did not, and instead moved toward the officers and raised the toy gun, prompting Sammis to fire.

H.G. Foster, the special prosecutor, said at a press conference today, that officers followed protocol. The state investigation of the shooting is closed. Federal investigators earlier found no evidence to support prosecuting Sammis for violating Farrow’s civil rights. A $125 million civil suit by Farrow’s mother against the West Memphis police is still pending.

Foster said that Farrow’s last words were, “It’s just a toy.”

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DA Gibbons Announces No Charges in “Nappi By Nature” Investigation

Shelby County District Attorney Bill Gibbons announced Friday that the criminal charges against five individuals involved in a May incident with three Memphis police officers outside a south Memphis business (Nappi By Nature) have been dismissed.

Additionally, the District Attorney announced there would be no state charges filed against police officers on the basis of an investigation conducted by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation requested by the D.A.

“Simply put, we are dismissing the cases because we do not believe we can prove beyond a reasonable doubt that any of the defendants committed the offenses in question,” D.A. Gibbons said.

The TBI’s investigation into the actions of the police officers on the scene of the incident is now closed. There will be no state prosecution of any police officers based upon the TBI’s investigation,” Gibbons added.

In August, Gibbons had asked the TBI to conduct an official investigation into whether three officers, Michael McCord, Billy Gray, and Steven Grigsby, violated any state laws when they arrested the five defendants on May 30 outside Nappi by Nature, located at 1391 Elvis Presley Boulevard. Under Tennessee law, investigations conducted by the TBI are sealed and not public records.

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Two Tiger Players Plead Not Guilty in Beale Street Incident

(AP) -Two University of Memphis basketball players pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges of disorderly conduct and inciting a riot related to a nightclub scuffle over the weekend.

Shawn Taggart and Jeff Robinson appeared briefly in Shelby County General Sessions Criminal Court. Their

The two were arrested after police responded to a disturbance outside the Plush Club on Beale Street early Sunday. Club security accused Taggart of starting a fight, though police said they later refuted that.

While being detained by officers, Taggart was accused of yelling obscenities and agitating a crowd that had gathered outside the club. Robinson also was charged with assault because he approached a police officer aggressively and used verbal threats, said police spokeswoman Monique Martin.

The incident prompted coach John Calipari to impose a curfew and bar them from visiting any nightclub.

Robinson, 19, is a freshman shooting guard from Columbus, N.J. Taggart, 22, is a 6-11 forward from Richmond, Va., who transferred last season from Iowa State. Neither has played a game for the Tigers.