No charges against Arizona officer in 17-year-old’s death

PHOENIX — Prosecutors declined to file criminal charges against an Arizona police officer in the death of a 17-year-old boy who was shot in the back twice during a foot chase in which authorities say the teen appeared to turn toward the officer with a gun his hand. Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said on Thursday that she concluded that Chandler police Officer Chase Bebak-Miller didn’t commit a crime in the shooting that led to the January 2021 death of Anthony Cano. Mitchell said Cano quickly picked up the gun and appeared to turn toward the officer with the gun in his right hand, leading the officer to fire the first of two shots at the teen. When he fired the second shot, Mitchell said, the officer still believed he was in danger because he didn’t realize Cano’s gun had been tossed aside. Greg Kuykendall, an attorney representing Cano’s family, said in a statement that the 17-year-old suffered an agonizing death and called Mitchell’s decision not to charge the officer “legally and morally indefensible.” Kuykendall said that “a criminal prosecution could serve as a wake up call to future perpetrators of inexcusable violence against children like Anthony, to police departments who encourage a culture of violence, to officers who face no repercussions whatsoever for their indefensible aggression.” The Chandler Police Department declined to comment on Mitchell’s decision.