27 June 2018•Update: 28 June 2018
By Michael Hernandez
WASHINGTON
A white police officer in the state of Pennsylvania was charged Wednesday with criminal homicide for the fatal shooting of a 17-year-old black teenager.
Michael Rosfeld fatally shot Antwon Rose Jr., 17, on June 19 while responding to a reported drive-by shooting in east Pittsburgh. Police say he pulled over a vehicle that matched the description of the one involved in the shooting when Rose Jr. and Zaijuan Hester, also 17, fled the scene on foot.
Mobile phone footage of the ensuing shooting appears to show Rosfeld firing at the duo as they fled, fatally shooting Rose Jr. three times, including in the back.
As with several prior police-involved shootings of unarmed black men and teenagers, the killing has prompted widespread public outcry over the use of fatal force by police officers as demonstrators demand justice.
In Pittsburgh, demonstrators have been carrying out daily mass demonstrations demanding Rosfeld be held to account.
He had been on administrative leave prior to turning himself in early Wednesday.
Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala told reporters shortly after the charges were publicly announced that he has determined the officer's "actions were intentional, and they certainly brought about the result that he was looking to accomplish," adding there was "there's no justification" for the shooting.
"There's no weapon that would have created a risk to officer Rosfeld," he said. "He was not acting to prevent death or serious bodily injury."
Neither Rose Jr. nor Hester, the other individual who fled the vehicle, were in possession of a weapon when they were gunned down.
While charges against a police officer involved in the killing of unarmed suspects are rare, even rarer still are convictions.
Rosfeld has been released on $250,000 bail. He next court appearance is July 6.
