Mecklenburg County’s district attorney has decided two Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police officers were legally justified in fatally shooting Kevin Eugene Boston last summer after he pointed a gun at the officers who approached Boston as a suspect in a theft from a nearby Food Lion.
District Attorney Spencer Merriweather on Tuesday released a 42-page report of his office’s findings, including information from interviews with the police officers and a review of body camera footage. The DA’s report says one of the officers fired first at Boston, conflicting with previous statements from the police department that the officers were returning fire.
Merriweather’s report says Boston refused police commands to drop his weapon, swung his gun as he walked past one of the officers and raised the gun and pointed it “in the direction of” officers Richard Meyer and Erik Torres even after he was shot. Earlier in the encounter, Merriweather’s report says, Boston had briefly pointed his gun at himself, holding it under his chin.
