Officer will not be charged in shooting death of Alabama man

Michael Moore was shot during a traffic stop by Office Harold Hurst who claims Moore was reaching for a gun in his waistband. (Copyright by WSLS - All rights reserved)

WKRG Staff – MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) - According to Mobile Police Chief James Barber, Officer Harold Hurst will remain on administrative leave pending the results of a federal investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice.

Ashley Rich, the Mobile County District Attorney, held a news conference at 11 a.m. on Tuesday morning to present the grand jury findings into the shooting death of Michael Moore.

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Rich announced that Officer Harold Hurst will not be charged with a crime after a grand jury returned a "no bill" in the case.

Seventeen grand jurors were present in the case and heard over 40 hours of testimony during the proceedings. Despite a $10,000 reward, no video was ever turned over in the investigation and surveillance cameras from nearby USA Medical Center did not capture the shooting. The only video available was from the body cameras of officers that arrived on the scene after the shooting.

Grand jurors used legal precedence of the use of deadly force by officers to make their determination in the case. According to the grand jury, Officer Harold Hurst's use of force was lawful and criminal charges are not warranted.

"The officer had a duty to protect himself and a duty to neutralize the threat to this populated neighborhood. Under the circumstances, the officer's use of deadly force was lawful. Accordingly, the Mobile county grand jury has determined that charges are not warranted," said District Attorney Rich during the news conference.

Grand Jury Report into Michael Moore Shooting Death

Rich also went on to explain how grand jury proceedings are kept secret and that no additional information from the investigation will be released.

Following the release of the grand jury findings, Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson released the following statement:

Today marked another point in this tragic situation. Our thoughts and prayers remain with all involved. While the Grand Jury has spoken, this chapter is not complete. We must still await the findings from the U.S. Department of Justice and we will continue to fully cooperate in that investigation. Going forward, I am calling on the District Attorney to release the transcript of the Grand Jury proceedings so that remaining questions about the events, evidence and investigations have the best chance of being answered. Finally, on this emotional day, I urge all who desire to express themselves to do so peacefully and constructively."