TITUSVILLE, Fla. – The fatal shooting of a 25-year-old Titusville man by police in February was found “lawful and justified” after a monthslong investigation into the incident by the state attorney’s office.
The 18th Judicial Circuit on Tuesday announced that its review of the Feb. 7 shooting found the officers’ use of force justified in the death of Tri-Marea Charles.
The Titusville Police Department said officers had responded to a suspicious incident off Robins Avenue.
Titusville Police Chief John Lau met with residents at an NAACP meeting days after the shooting and said the officers encountered Charles after he ran and dropped a gun.
In a letter, the state attorney’s office said Charles had picked up a handgun that he dropped and ran toward an officer and a neighboring home before the first officer fired at him.
Charles was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
According to the state attorney’s office, Charles was shot 10 times.
The letter also states police had received multiple calls reporting “shots fired” at the home in the weeks leading up to 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 department said Charles’ family members will be shown body camera video of the shooting this week, something they have been seeking in the months after the shooting.
“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 video will then be made available to the public on Friday, the department said.
“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,” police said in a release.
Read the state attorney’s office’s full letter below.