No charges against police in the death of Dontae Melton, who died in Baltimore police custody
No criminal charges will be filed in the death of Dontae Melton, Jr., who died in Baltimore Police custody last June, the Maryland Attorney General's office announced Wednesday. Melton's family condemned the decision, calling it an "effort to avoid accountability."
Melton died June 24 after approaching an officer at the intersection of West Franklin Street and North Franklintown Road and asking for help. Both police and his family said he was suffering a mental health crisis at the time.
"It's still a tragedy," Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said. "The Attorney General makes that decision, and he is the ultimate decision maker. For us, we are going to continue to work to make sure we are dealing with all of our issues that we have in Baltimore to prevent those things from happening."
The night of June 24
Police body-cam footage released last August showed 31-year-old Melton approach the officer at a red light around 9:40 p.m., saying that somebody was chasing him.
Melton was restrained by police in handcuffs and leg shackles while awaiting medical help, but an ambulance never arrived because the city's dispatch system was down. At one point in the video Melton can be heard yelling, "I can't breathe." He later became unresponsive, according to investigators.
Officers eventually transported Melton to Grace Medical Center themselves, where he was pronounced dead just after midnight.
The Chief Medical Examiner's office ruled his death a homicide.
No criminal charges in Dontae Melton death
"After completing its investigation and evaluating all the available evidence, the Office of the Attorney General has determined that the subject officers did not commit a crime under Maryland law," the AG's office said in a statement.
"Officers requested EMS five separate times. No ambulance arrived," Melton family attorney Larry Greenberg said in a statement Wednesday. "The IID [Independent Investigations Division] report confirms that nearly forty minutes passed before officers transported Mr. Melton themselves to a hospital, a hospital located only blocks from the scene."
Melton family "will pursue the truth"
In September, Melton's family announced they were suing the Baltimore Police Department.
Greenberg said that, despite the lack of criminal charges, the Melton family will continue to pursue their case. "The family deserves a thorough accounting and meaningful reforms, not a declination that insulates institutions from responsibility. Mr. Melton should not have died. He was raised to trust the police, and when he was in crisis, they should have protected him."
He went on to criticize the IID report saying, "It reads like an effort to avoid accountability. That effort will fail. This family will pursue the truth and responsibility through every lawful avenue available, including civil litigation if needed."