3 With Slain Store Suspect Won’t Be Charged
DEARBORN, Mich. — Police will not press shoplifting charges against the three companions of a black man whose death outside a shopping center sparked protests.
Chief Ron Deziel said Friday that the decision was made despite store surveillance videotapes that he said pointed to shoplifting by the man’s common-law wife and two children.
“Because this case has received so much publicity . . . I think we would be severely criticized if we brought charges,†Deziel said.
The death June 22 of Frederick Finley sparked accusations of racial profiling and a protest outside the Lord & Taylor store. Finley, 32, died after he was subdued by store security guards investigating the alleged shoplifting.
A part-time guard, also black, has been charged with involuntary manslaughter.
Activists claim the store uses black security workers to scrutinize minority shoppers to avoid the appearance of discrimination. A store representative declined comment.
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