This July 28, 2017 photo shows a picture of Ismael Lopez, left, and his wife Claudia, shown to reporters during a news conference in Memphis, Tenn. HERNANDO, Miss. (AP) – A Mississippi prosecutor said Wednesday that a police officer who shot and killed an armed man after going to the wrong house won’t face criminal charges.
DeSoto County District Attorney John Champion told reporters that a grand jury last week declined to indict the unnamed officer on murder or manslaughter charges in the death of Ismael Lopez.
Lopez was shot inside his home on July 23, 2017, by Southaven officers who were trying to locate a suspect who lived across the street in the Memphis, Tennessee, suburb, according to authorities.
Attorney Murray Wells tells local news outlets that Lopez’s relatives are saddened and confused by the lack of criminal charges.
Champion said Wednesday that three officers went to Lopez’s home after a GPS system indicated it as the residence of a suspect wanted on domestic violence charges. Champion said officers knocked on the door, but that he doesn’t think they identified themselves.