FULTON, Mo. — A Fulton police officer reasonably believed he was in danger of being injured or killed when he fatally shot a driver on Dec. 30, a special prosecutor has ruled.
Special prosecutor Stephen Sokoloff said in a report released Monday that Cody McCaulou, 25, was accelerating toward the officer when he was shot. The officer fired after determining that he could not make it to his cruiser before the car hit him, the report says.
The shooting happened after an officer tried to pull McCaulou over on a street in front of McIntire Elementary School.
When the shooting happened, the vehicle was no more than 6 feet from the officer and accelerating, Sokoloff wrote.
“As a result, it is my conclusion that the officer was justified in his use of deadly force, and that I believe no charges are warranted,” Sokoloff wrote.
McCaulou's family has disputed the official account of the shooting, saying McCaulou tried to avoid hitting the officer, KMIZ reported.
