James L. Marine doesn’t understand how the district attorney could find “no criminal culpability” in the death of his son, whose body had 43 gunshot wounds from bullets fired by six Chattanooga police officers.
Hamilton County District Attorney Bill Cox said Thursday that his office would not pursue criminal charges against the officers after he had reviewed a report by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation on the July 18, 2009, shooting.
In a response letter to the TBI, Mr. Cox said the report showed no criminal culpability. He confirmed in a telephone interview that evidence showed Alonzo Heyward, 32, fired a shot at police.
Sitting in his East Ridge apartment Thursday afternoon, Mr. Marine said he isn’t satisfied with the TBI’s investigation. He said he knows four witnesses who told him they were never contacted by the agency.
“I thought they were going to deal fairly, investigate thoroughly, but I see that they didn’t,” he said.