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No federal charges against police in Niles shooting

Staff report

NILES — The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio will not pursue federal criminal civil rights charges against any Niles police officers involved in the shooting death of Matthew Burroughs on Jan. 2, 2019.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said there was “insufficient basis for a federal prosecution” in Burroughs’ death, according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Justice.

“I’m angry but not surprised,” responded Thomas Conley, CEO of the Greater Warren Youngstown Urban League. “I feel that it’s a tragedy that a conclusion such as that would come out.”

Burroughs, 35, was killed after two Niles police officers — Chris Mannella and James Reppy Jr. — fired eight shots at Burroughs’ Ford Fiesta in the parking lot outside his apartment in the Royal Mall complex.

Earlier that day, Burroughs ran from the Niles Municipal Court, prompting police to follow him to his apartment.

At the time of the shooting, Burroughs was unarmed, but police officers said they feared Burroughs would use his car as a weapon against Mannella, who fired the fatal shots, according to a report from Trumbull County Prosecutor Dennis Watkins. Watkins in September decided not to press charges against the officers.

Shortly after releasing his office’s findings, Watkins turned over 1,600 pages of investigatory materials related to the case to the U.S. Justice Department.

“This incident has now been reviewed by the Niles Police Department, Ohio BCI, the Trumbull County Prosecutor’s Office, a Trumbull County grand jury and the United States Justice Department. At each of these steps our officers were found to be acting within the scope of the law,” said Niles Police Chief Jay Holland. He said he could not comment further due to pending litigation among the estate of Matthew Burroughs and the city of Niles, himself, and several officers.

A civil suit filed by the estate calls the shooting “excessive use of force,” and alleges that officers’ actions caused Burroughs to suffer conscious pain and suffering until he died, and will deprive his beneficiaries of companionship and financial assistance.

In an answer from Niles, the city said Burroughs repeatedly failed to obey the commands of a Niles Municipal Court officer who attempted to stop him from leaving the court building because of a warrant filed against him. The city also alleges Burroughs assaulted court officers with his vehicle before leaving the court building at a high speed, according to the court documents.

Reppy’s body camera shows that Burroughs’ brake lights were on at the time he was shot, according to evidence released in September. Conley, who previously demanded an investigation into the shooting, said that should be enough basis to prove police misconduct.

“The foot on the brake was evidence enough that the Niles police officer did not use good judgment in his action,” said Conley. “I feel that it was a cover-up, and my hope is that for the family moving forward with the civil lawsuit, [that] would be something of a victory for them.”

news@tribtoday.com

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