The U.S. Attorney's Office has cleared a Miami police officer of any wrongdoing concerning a December shooting of a burglary suspect.
The officer, whose name has not been released, has been on paid administrative leave since the December 27th incident.
On that evening, officers were called to the scene of a Miami apartment complex for reports of an armed man attempting to break-in to a residence. Three M-P-D officers made contact with 49-year-old Jason Wilkins who was armed with a large metal spike and who appeared to be under the influence of narcotics. Wilkins failed to respond to commands from the officers to drop his weapon. When Wilkins refused to comply, shots were fired and the suspect was hit. The suspect was taken to Integris Hospital in Miami where he later died from his injuries.
U.S. Attorney Clinton J. Johnson notified the City of Miami’s Interim Police Chief Todd Hicks by letter regarding his decision not to pursue federal criminal charges against the officer involved. After reviewing all the evidence, Johnson determined the shooting was justified under the circumstances.
