PRESIDENT
PRESIDENT TRUMP PUT IN PLACE. ALL EYES ARE ON INDIANAPOLIS TONIGHT AFTER A GRAND JURY
RECOMMENDED NO CHARGES AGAINST
THE I.M. P.D. OFFICER WHO SHOT
AND KILLED RAY JOHN REED. SINCE
THAT HUGE ANNOUNCEMENT EARLIER
TONIGHT, OUR TEAM'S BEEN
DIGGING THROUGH ALL THE
DIFFERENT PIECES OF THIS STORY
FROM A DETAILED TIMELINE OF THE
MOMENTS BEFORE REED'S DEATH TO
THE NEW EVIDENCE STATE POLICE
RELEASED AND REACTION FROM THE
COMMUNITY. BUT FIRST LET'S GIVE
YOU SOME CONTEXT ABOUT HOW WE
GOT HERE. THIS DECISION TODAY
HAS BEEN MONTHS IN THE MAKING.
IT STARTED ON MAY 6 WHEN
OFFICER DOES YOUR MERCER SHOT
AND KILLED RAY SEAN REED AFTER
REED RAN FROM POLICE WHILE
SHOOTING A FACEBOOK LIVE VIDEO.
THIS SPARKED PROTESTS AND CALLS
FOR CHANGE WHICH REIGNITED
WEEKS LATER AFTER THE DEATH
OF GEORGE FLOYD. THEN IN JUNE
THE SPECIAL PROSECUTOR WAS
ASSIGNED TO THIS CASE. IN
AUGUST SHE REQUESTED A SPECIAL
GRAND JURY REVIEW. THE EVIDENCE
FROM INDIANA STATE POLICE AND
THAT LEADS US TO TODAY'S
ANNOUNCEMENT WHEN THE GRAND
JURY RECOMMENDED AGAINST
CRIMINAL CHARGES FOR OFFICER
MERCER. THE SPECIAL PROSECUTOR
SAYS THIS DECISION FOLLOWED A
VERY THOROUGH BUT DIFFICULT
PROCESS. THIS HAS NOT BEEN AN
EASY TASK AND IT'S BEEN A VERY
HEAVY BURDEN. I'M A MOTHER
OF TWO BLACK BOYS. I DON'T KNOW
HOW MR. REED'S MOTHER FEELS,
BUT I'M A MOTHER OF TWO BLACK
BOYS. I ALSO AM VERY EMPATHETIC
TOWARD OFFICER MERCER. I KNOW
THAT THERE HAD TO BE A
DIFFICULT POSITION TO BE IN. SO
ALL THE WAY AROUND. LIKE I SAID
THERE. NO ONE WINS TO GET A
BETTER IDEA OF WHY THIS GRAND
JURY CAME TO THIS DECISION
TODAY STATE POLICE RELEASED
SOME OF THE EVIDENCE COLLECTED
DURING THEIR MONTHS
OF INVESTIGATION. THERE WAS A
LOT TO SIFT THROUGH TONIGHT. SO
OUR EMILY LONG NECKER IS NOW
SHARING WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
TONIGHT. EMILY
, WHAT'S GOT
INDIANA STATE POLICE
SUPERINTENDENT DOUG CARTER
SAYING THAT TODAY'S FINDINGS
CAME AFTER HUNDREDS AND
HUNDREDS OF HOURS
OF INVESTIGATING A TASK HE SAYS
THEY DID NOT TAKE LIGHTLY. HE
SAYS THEY HAD TWO GOALS HERE TO
EXPLAIN TO THE FAMILY
OF TRAYVON READ WHAT HAPPENED
THAT DAY AND ALSO TO EXPLAIN IT
TO THE CITIZENS
OF INDIANAPOLIS. WELL, FROM THE
TIME POLICE STARTED CHASING 21
YEAR OLD JOHN REID TRYING TO
PULL THEM OVER THEY SAY FOR
DRIVING ERRATICALLY UNTIL I
P.D. OFFICER DEJA MERCER SHOT
AND KILLED HIM. SIXTEEN MINUTES
HAD PASSED. SOME OF IT STREAMED
LIVE I READ ON FACEBOOK. IT WAS
THAT LIVE STREAM VIDEO ALONG
WITH SURVEILLANCE VIDEO FROM AN
INDIANAPOLIS PUBLIC LIBRARY
BRANCH AND A LOCAL BUSINESS
WHERE REID BAILED OUT HIS CAR.
THE INDIANA STATE POLICE USED
TO TRY AND FIGURE OUT WHAT
HAPPENED. INVESTIGATORS SAY
THEY ALSO INTERVIEWED WITNESSES
ALONG MICHIGAN ROAD THAT DAY
AND BROUGHT IN BALLISTICS
EXPERTS. A SHOOTING
RECONSTRUCTIONIST AND ANALYZE
DNA AND AUDIO EVIDENCE ALONG
SHELL CASINGS AT THE SCENE.
STATE POLICE SAY THEY CAN'T
DETERMINE WHO FIRED THE FIRST
SHOT THAT DAY BUT IT'S EXACT
SOMETIME TOO FAR. WE KNOW THAT
TWO SHOTS WERE FIRED AGAIN
HAVING AT LEAST TWO DIFFERENT
SHOOTERS. STATE POLICE SHOWED
VIDEO TAKEN FROM REID'S PHONE
OF SHELL CASINGS FLYING IN THE
AIR FROM DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS,
CASINGS CROSSING HERE. IT
HAPPENED ONCE YOU HAVE TWO
DIFFERENT TWO DIFFERENT
BUSINESS FIRING. WHAT
INVESTIGATORS SAY THEY ALSO
KNOW IS THE GUNFIRE DIDN'T
START UNTIL AFTER OFFICER
MERCER TASERED REID AS HE WAS
CHASING HIM. HE ACTUALLY CHASED
HIM AT THE SAME TIME THAT MR.
REID WAS ACTUALLY STARTING TO
PULL HIS FIREARM. MR. REID GOES
DOWN BASICALLY ON HIS STOMACH
AND THEN HE TURNS BASICALLY IN
THAT SAME POSITION ONTO HIS
ONTO BASICALLY ONTO HIS
BUTTOCKS AND HE FALLS. IT
APPEARS FOLLOWS MR MERCER AS
HE'S MOVING. WHEN THE GUNFIRE
WAS OVER, POLICE SAY TWO SHELL
CASINGS MATCHED REID'S GUN.
THIRTEEN BELONG TO OFFICER
MERCER. INVESTIGATORS SAY THE
GUN REID HAD CAN BE SEEN UNDER
HIS LEG WHILE HE'S STILL IN HIS
CAR. AND LATER AT THE SCENE,
ACCORDING TO POLICE, DNA ON THE
GUN FROM THAT VIDEO MATCHES
READS THE SERIAL NUMBER ON IT
TRACED TO A PAWNSHOP IN TEXAS
WHERE INVESTIGATORS SAY REID
STOLE IT AND POLICE SAY THAT
THEY MATCHED SHELL CASINGS
FROM TWO OTHER DRIVE BY
SHOOTINGS. THERESA? EMILY,
THANKS SO MUCH. NOW ALL OF THIS
STARTED AS A CAR CHASE ON MAY
6TH AND LIKE EMILY MENTIONED,
IT ENDED JUST 16 MINUTES LATER.
SO LET'S WALK YOU THROUGH WHAT
HAPPENED MINUTE BY MINUTE.
HERE'S OUR DUSTIN GROVE
ACCORDING TO STATE POLICE. IT
STARTED AROUND 6:00 P.M. WHEN
CHIEF TAYLOR AND ANOTHER OFF
DUTY OFFICER SAW REID'S CAR
DRIVING RECKLESSLY OR 965 NEAR
WEST 30TH. THE CHASE BEGINS AND
10 MINUTES LATER THE OFFICER
WHO PICKED IT UP CALLED IT OFF
SEVERAL MILES AWAY ON THE
NORTHWEST SIDE. ABOUT ONE
MINUTE AFTER THAT, OFFICER
MERCER, THE OFFICER WHO ENDS UP
SHOOTING REID REPORTS REID'S
LOCATION AT 60 SECOND IN
MICHIGAN ROAD. FIVE MINUTES
LATER OFFICER MERCER IS OUT
OF HIS CAR AND CHASING AFTER
REID OVER THE NEXT TWENTY FIVE
SECONDS. HERE'S WHAT STATE
POLICE SAY HAPPENED REID STARTS
TO DRAW HIS GUN FROM HIS
WAISTBAND. OFFICER MERCER FIRES
A STUN GUN. IT WASN'T FULLY
EFFECTIVE. AND THAT'S WHEN THE
TWO MEN FIRE AT EACH OTHER. ALL
IN JUST 25 SECONDS. AND TONIGHT
WE ARE HEARING FROM MPD AND THE
ATTORNEYS FOR THE POLICE
OFFICER INVOLVED MERCY'S
ATTORNEY SAY THERE ARE NO
WINNERS WHEN AN OFFICER HAS TO
USE DEADLY FORCE. AND THEY'RE
NOW HOPING TO PUT THIS INCIDENT
BEHIND HIM AND HIS FELLOW
OFFICERS. MEANTIME, THE POLICE
DEPARTMENT SAYS THEY UNDERSTAND
THE RESULT MAY BE FRUSTRATING
BUT THEY'RE HOPING THE
TRANSPARENCY FROM THE SPECIAL
PROSECUTOR AND STATE POLICE
WILL HELP MOVE THIS CITY
FORWARD. SINCE THIS GRAND
JURY'S DECISION TODAY WE'VE
SEEN REACTION POURING IN ALL
ACROSS OUR CITY. ALLEN CARTER
HAS BEEN FOLLOWING TODAY'S
PROTESTS. ALEC, WHAT CAN YOU
TELL US? WELL, SCOTT, IT DID
NOT TAKE LONG AFTER THAT
ANNOUNCEMENT REGARDING THE
GRAND JURY FOR A CALL TO ACTION
FOR PEOPLE TO SHOW UP HERE
DOWNTOWN IN PROTEST. WE WANT A
LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT WE SAW
THIS EVENING. NOW THIS IS ABOUT
100 PEOPLE THAT ENDED UP COMING
OUT MAYBE A LITTLE BIT MORE
UPSET THAT THERE WERE NO
CHARGES AS A RESULT OF THIS. SO
UP UNTIL ABOUT NINE O'CLOCK
PEOPLE WERE MARCHING THROUGH
THE STREETS OF DOWNTOWN AT
TIMES STOPPING AND BLOCKING OFF
INTERSECTIONS. I MPD ONE
STATION TO ROUTE BUT THEY
FOCUSED ON CROWD CONTROL AND
NEVER INTERACTED WITH THE
PROTESTERS. NOW THERE WAS TALK
THAT REED'S FAMILY MAY SHOW UP
TONIGHT BUT ULTIMATELY THEY
REPORTEDLY SAID THAT THE
SITUATION WAS JUST STILL TOO
EMOTIONAL. BUT THE PEOPLE HERE
DID HAVE A MESSAGE FOR REED'S
FAMILY. AT GREAT YOU KNOW, I
DON'T KNOW HOW BOB
AND HERE IS
WHAT PROTESTERS ARE
SPECIFICALLY ASKING FOR. THEY
WANT A FEDERAL INVESTIGATION.
THEY ALSO WANT MORE INFORMATION
IN RELATION TO THIS CASE TO BE
RELEASED. AND THEY'RE CALLING
FOR THE RESIGNATION OF OFFICER
MERCER UNTIL THEY GET THOSE
THOSE DEMANDS MET. THEY SAY
THEY WILL BE BACK OUT
PROTESTING AND INTEND TO COME
BACK OUT TOMORROW EVENING.
THANK YOU. WE'VE ALSO HEARD
TONIGHT FROM COMMUNITY LEADERS
AND THE MAYOR OF INDIANAPOLIS,
THE INDIANAPOLIS BRANCH OF THE
NAACP IS ASKING ANYONE WHO
WISHES TO PROTEST TO KEEP
THINGS PEACEFUL AND AVOID
CONDUCT THAT UNDERMINES THEIR
PUSH FOR RESPECT AND
TRANSPARENCY IN POLICING. THE
MAYOR SENT US THIS STATEMENT
SAYING WHILE THIS DECISION
ENDS, THIS CRIMINAL REVIEW, IT
DOESN'T HEAL THE DIVIDES IN OUR
COMMUNITY. THE MAYOR ALSO
THANKED LOCAL LEADERS WHO
PUSHED FOR THE NEW USE OF FORCE
POLICIES AND REVIEW BOARD. NOW
WE HAVE NOT YET HEARD
FROM REED'S FAMILY TONIGHT
THEIR ATTORNEY SAYS THEY'LL LET
US KNOW WHEN THEY HAVE A
RESPONSE. THE FAMILY IS STILL
SUING THREE MPD OFFICERS AND
THE CITY IN RELATION TO THIS
SHOOTING. NOW WE KNOW THERE'S A
LOT TO UNPACK WITH THIS CASE
TONIGHT. SO WE'VE GOT ALL THE
MAJOR DEVELOPMENTS ALONG WITH
THE BACKGROUND CONTEXT THAT
WE'VE SHARED WITH YOU. JUST GO
TO WTA, OUR